#also give clothes you don’t want to people you know or charity shops (or I guess thrift shops lol)

[rotteneldritchhorror]

Being able to sew your own clothes may not be the most accessible things (especially sustainably) but I will forever be an advocate for being able to MEND your own clothes

Even if it’s a kinda ugly whip stitch on the inside of your shirt or a ladder stitch to adjust the size of some jeans or a mismatching patch on the sole of your socks— literally anything that’ll make your clothes last longer, even if it just means they’ll last long enough for you to give it away to someone else

And then when it can no longer be mended, use it to mend other clothes

[crystallinestars]

Winter and Christmas HCs

Little HCs on how Kaveh, Alhaitham, Albedo, and Childe spend the Christmas season with you. I might make a part 2 with other boys if people like this.

(Apologies is anything sounds a bit weird. I wrote this while running a fever, so I can't tell if something sounds off)

Kaveh

🍷 Likes the Christmas season because it gives him an excuse to decorate your house and make it look beautiful. Kaveh enjoys decorating the house and Christmas tree together with you because, to him, it's a bonding activity where your hard work can result in something beautiful, which greatly appeals to him.

He goes all out hanging garlands, lights, and paper snowflakes inside your home and also sets up miniature Christmas trees both indoors and outdoors. He pays careful attention to both the exterior and interior of the home, bedecking it with so many decorations that you don’t know how you’ll store all of it once Spring arrives. Helping him set everything up takes a majority of the day, but you have to admit that Kaveh has a good eye for aesthetics because your house looks like something out of a fairy tale.

Kaveh will shower you with praises once you finish setting everything up, but he expects you to compliment his efforts in return. He simply wants recognition for his work, and he values your opinion on whether or not you genuinely like how he decorated the house.

🍷 Is full of Christmas spirit. Gives to charities, goes window shopping with you, and gushes to you about all the beautiful scenery you can find around shops during this time of year. He also enjoys going on short walks with you to admire the winter landscape even if he complains about the cold later. He’s absolutely enamored with how magical this time of year feels.

🍷 He is a master at building gingerbread houses. Rather than buying a kit from the store, Kaveh opts to design and bake his own. Building a gingerbread house is in some ways similar to his work as an architect, so designing one costs him very little effort. Baking isn’t Kaveh’s strongest suit though he’s decent at it, but if you are a better baker than him, the architect will greatly appreciate your help in making the dough for him. Getting all the necessary materials, Kaveh spends hours painstakingly cutting pieces of the house and baking them in the oven.

You don’t interfere with his creative process, knowing that your craftsmanship is nowhere near as precise as his, and your help would most likely result in Kaveh needing to fix your mistakes. Instead, you keep him company while he assembles the gingerbread house, chatting with him and getting him to take breaks to eat because he tends to get too wrapped up in his work. Kaveh won’t tell you, but he genuinely appreciates your company because it makes him less lonely.

The gingerbread house takes a few days to construct, but the final result is well worth the effort. The house looks magical. For a house made out of candy, it looks surprisingly realistic and grand, and it makes you feel guilty at the mere thought of eating and destroying such a delicate work of art. If you look closer, you’ll notice two little gingerbread people holding hands next to the entrance of the house. One looks like Kaveh while the other resembles you.

🍷 Kaveh is also a master at making snowmen. I’m sorry, but his snowmen will blow yours out of the water. He doesn’t settle for simply stacking three spheres together, jamming some sticks and a carrot, and then calling it a day. No, Kaveh spends hours collecting snow and constructing a beautiful snow sculpture that could honestly win a contest if he chose to enter one.

Out of all the ones he makes, his favorite one is of you. He spent way too much time making your sculpture as accurate to the real you as he could, and even added some artistic flourish (flowers, extravagant clothing, accessories etc) to enhance your beauty. His sculptures draw the attention of many passersby, especially children. Will probably get roped into teaching children how to make these sculptures because the little kids want to learn how to make them too.

🍷 He catches colds easily. If he sees you without a hat or scarf, he will take off his own scarf/hat and put it on you while scolding you for not dressing warmly because you could catch a cold. He also gives you his gloves if you don’t have any on you, and is prepared to give you the clothes on his back if you’re still cold. He ends up catching a cold himself instead. Kaveh feels embarrassed by this turn of events and won’t let you care for him at first, but please nurse him back to health. He’s not great at taking care of his health and will almost cry from how loved he feels if you take care of him when he’s at his most vulnerable.

🍷 Is too broke to afford the presents he wants to give you and his friends. Despite his efforts to save up money for Christmas shopping, it’s still not enough, so he makes your present himself. He’s very nifty with his hands so he makes you a little trinket or gadget that both looks pretty and serves a practical purpose that you can make use of in your daily life.

🍷 Likes trying out limited-time Christmas teas and hot chocolates with you to determine which ones taste the best so he can give some to his friends as gifts. Also enjoys making Christmas-themed latte art for you and is very good at it.

Alhaitham

🎧 Doesn’t decorate the house because he can’t be bothered and sees it as a meaningless endeavor. If you want to decorate it, he won’t stop you, though don’t expect him to help (so he tells you). However, if you ask him to help you put up a decoration someplace that’s too high for you to reach, he’ll sigh and come over and do as you ask. For all his indifference towards the holiday season and all it entails, Alhaitham has a soft spot for you and will still help you if it makes you happy. Unfortunately, his nature simply doesn’t allow him to resist the urge to provide critique on the placement of certain decorations if he thinks they’re in a bad spot.

🎧 Has practically zero Christmas spirit. He doesn’t want to build snowmen, won’t bother with gingerbread houses, won’t even look in the direction of all the Christmas-themed mugs/candles/clothes/other junk that serves very little purpose. He knows it’s all just a corporate scheme to get money out of people, however, he actively uses any mugs or sweaters you give to him as a gift. He may say there was no need for you to do any of this, but he does treasure the things you give him and takes better care of them than most other things in his house.

🎧 Among all Christmas-related activities, Alhaitham enjoys reading with you by the fireplace the most. The fire provides enough light for him to read comfortably, and snuggling with you under a warm blanket on the couch while listening to the crackle of the logs creates a nice ambiance that he enjoys. Bonus points if you have a mug of tea or coffee somewhere nearby for the two of you to enjoy while you read.

🎧 He’s not the most creative when it comes to giving gifts. He’s the type to not know what to give someone if the person already has everything they need, so he relies on you to help him shop for presents. It’s easier to fight the crowds with two people instead of one when it comes to getting items before they’re all snatched up, plus leaving the responsibility of picking presents to you absolves him of the need to worry about what to get his friends. Don’t worry, Alhaitham will assist you with the decision-making process by providing his two cents about each gift you pick until you both settle on something you think is good.

He hates shopping during this season because of how loud and crowded it gets, so Alhaitham develops a tendency to hold your hand so you won’t get separated in the throng of people.

Like the slacker he is, Alhaitham also relies on you to wrap up the presents because his initial decision is to simply place them in a bag and call it a day. He’s just not into arts and crafts.

🎧 If Haitham notices you rubbing your hands together from the cold, he will take one of your hands in his and place them in the pocket of his jacket to keep them warm.

🎧 Has a sharp eye and quickly notices if you own worn-out winter clothes or don’t have things like hats, scarves, or gloves. He’ll buy you a high-quality version to replace it, sparing no expense at getting you something durable that will last a long time while also keeping you warm. It’s worth the money, in his opinion. Since he believes in giving practical gifts, expect a brand-new winter jacket/boots/gloves to be given to you as a present from him. That, or a book on your hobbies.

Albedo

🧪 Doesn’t fully understand the hype behind Christmas but joins in on the festivities for the sake of garnering new experiences and trying to determine what people like about it so much. He does end up liking the holiday and winter season in general, albeit not for personal reasons. He finds it adorable to watch Klee and you enjoy the snow, build gingerbread houses, and build snowmen together. He helps to improve your gingerbread house/snowman making by giving a few pointers here and there but otherwise lets you two make them how you want. Albedo finds value in other people’s ideas and thus wants you to have the freedom to express yourselves how you like.

🧪 Wants to try Christmas-related activities, one of which is kissing under a mistletoe. He finds the concept amusing but first makes sure you are on board with the idea. If you are, expect mistletoe to appear in your shared home one day. It’ll be hung above the dining table, the main entrance, and above his work desk. His goal is to get kisses from you before you share a meal together, when you leave or enter your home, and when you bring him tea when he’s working at his desk. Albedo loves it if you become flustered when spotting the mistletoe at first. Your bashful expression gets a soft chuckle out of him before he leans in for a kiss.

🧪 Albedo likes the winter landscape. There’s something so pristine about the white snow blanketing the world and muting all sound. He spends quite a bit of his free time painting the winter landscapes. Once in a while, purely for fun, he makes a painting of you and Klee playing in the snow. The memory of watching you two building Jumpy Dumpty out of snow still makes him smile.

🧪 One of his favorite Christmas-related activities to do with you is trying to concoct Christmas-flavored teas and sweets. He experiments with classic flavors like peppermint, gingerbread, cinnamon, and eggnog among others, and tries to come up with unique flavors by combining several of them. You tend to be his guinea pig during these experiments, and while a few of the results end up being misses, the majority you actually end up liking. It becomes a tradition for Albedo to make you your favorite blend of tea or cookie recipe of his own creation during this season.

🧪 Makes your present himself. As an alchemist, he can make a lot of unusual and unique things, but he settles for more simple things like creating a body wash with a scent you like and that also works wonders for your skin, or giving you a rare plant if you’re into botany, or specially designed gloves that keep your fingers warm no matter how cold it gets. The presents he makes aren’t anything extravagant, but they’re chosen with thought and care. Albedo also helps Klee make a fancy card to give you for Christmas and helps her make a present for you too which ends up being a Jumpy Dumpty plush similar to her own.

🧪 If Albedo notices you’re cold, he’ll give you some of his own clothes to try and keep you warm, such as wrapping his scarf around your neck or giving you his hat. He’ll gently remind you to dress warmer for the winter weather. If you still end up getting sick, he’ll take care of you until you’re all better.

Childe

🐋 Having grown up in a snowy country, Childe is used to dealing with a variety of problems that snow can bring, and even has a fondness for it because it reminds him of his home and family. He enjoys going on walks to admire the winter scenery and gets you to tag along with him. He tells you lots of stories of how he and his siblings used to play in the snow and the shenanigans they got up to.

If you’re the type to get cold easily, Childe will readily give you his winter clothes to warm you up. The cold doesn’t bother him as much as it does you, plus he rarely gets sick, so he can get away with losing a few pieces of clothes to give you. Not that you’re complaining. His winter clothes keep you warm better than anything you ever owned, plus they smelled like him in a comforting sort of way.

🐋 Loves to engage in snowball fights with his siblings, and moreso when you join in on the fun. Him and you getting chased by his three younger siblings who toss snowballs at you. Though the children are a bit clumsy and rarely hit either you or him, Childe still lets them win the game on purpose so the little ones can feel good about themselves. He only asks that you play along and let his siblings win, and feels a surge of love towards you when you do.

Childe likes playing in the snow with his siblings in general. Making snow angels, building funny-looking snowmen, and constructing snow forts are just some of the things they all do together as a family. His siblings like to include you in their activities and try to make you feel like a part of their group.

🐋 Childe likes to bring you along on his ice fishing trips if it’s something that you’re interested in doing with him. He’ll teach you all about cutting through the ice, how to operate a fishing rod, and what to look for while fishing. Though he tends to ice fish alone so he has some quiet time to reflect on himself, he also likes fishing together with you as a bonding activity. He doesn’t make fun of you if you fail to reel in a catch, simply giving you some pointers on what you can do to improve your chances next time.

🐋 To Childe, Christmas means spending time with family. Every year, he always makes an effort to celebrate the holiday together with his family, and after getting into a relationship with him, you become a part of his family celebrations, as well. His family welcomes you with open arms and teaches you about their culture’s unique customs and dishes when it comes to celebrating the holiday. You are urged to try new dishes, participate in festive activities, and help convince the children that Santa is real when their father comes in dressed in the costume of one. Even if you feel a bit awkward about celebrating together with his family, Childe appreciates you a lot for taking the chance. To him, three things are most important in his life: self-improvement, his family, and you. Seeing you get along ith his family makes him really happy.

🐋 His main goal when choosing presents is picking something you’ll like. The secondary goal is picking something that will impress you. As such, he doesn’t limit himself when buying you a gift. If you’re into clothing, he’ll buy you a ton of high-quality, high-end fashion that costs a crazy amount of money. If you’re more into artsy interests, he’ll buy you the most expensive art tools and supplies on the market so your art won’t be limited by money. If you like sports, he buys all kinds of fancy gadgets to make working out easier for you. He buys the best that his money can afford without really questioning it because he believes you deserve only the best.

🐋 Mistletoe isn’t a part of his culture, but he finds the idea of it quite fun. He definitely wants to try it with you and will go as far as carrying a branch of it in his pocket and whipping it out to hold above your heads whenever he wants a kiss from you. Kissing whenever you two accidentally meet under a mistletoe is all well and good, but he thinks it’s more fun to get kisses out of you this way whenever he wants. You might have to snatch the mistletoe away from him because he can get too carried away with constantly pestering you for more kisses. He just can’t get enough of your lips.

[abigail]

hi abigail! i hope it’s ok to ask about this - where do you get your amazing jewellery from and do you have any tips on building up a collection? every time you’re draped in gorgeous layered necklaces it’s like 💔💔 so so good!! kiss!

hi lovely !! thank you so much omg and of course it’s okay to ask :-) honestly happy to share anything i can when it comes to styling stuff lol but yes !!

i’ve had a lot of my jewellery for years tbh and if i’m honest and a lot of it is secondhand ! i’m lucky to have lots of charity shops/vintage stores in the area i live/work so i always like to nosy what there is whenever I can, i really recommend if you’ve got any secondhand stores near you to never miss the jewellery section, often it’s not a lot of stuff but you can find some beautiful stuff sometimes !! if you’re able to too, if you go to an area that’s got a lot of like.. rich people living in it (lol) check out the secondhand stores there ! because i’ve found charity shops in areas with more people with money usually have more jewellery than other charity shops idk ! but also there’s online too like vinted/ebay/depop/etsy - just of course have an idea what you’re looking for and use the search tools to really narrow it all down !

i do buy new quite a bit with jewellery though, some of my favourite places to get them is regal rose (i usually wait for them to do a sale though unless it’s something i know i realllllyyy want), livia wednesday (everything is handmade and so beautiful ! because it’s handmade it is a bit more expensive but in my opinion it’s totally worth it.. i’ve got quite a bit from her and i’ve never personally had any issues !! easily my favourite place to get jewellery with pearls and whatnot hehe), i’ve also got a bunch of things from mysticum luna before (i haven’t so much these days because their recent collections haven’t quite been for me but i do still love the things i have and really recommend them !!), and for cheaper stuff/costume jewellery i do like asos !! they’ve got sooo much stuff and i love the tool bars because it means you can really narrow down what you’re looking for which is helpful and doesn’t mean you’re scrolling for hours through thousands of products ..

another thing i do is buy charms and add them to my own chain or earring hoop !! charms are everywhere and usually pretty cheap, so if you get various chains of different lengths and thicknesses or pearl beads or whatever you’re wanting, you can add the charms to them (i find them a lot in charity shops too and they’re always like £1 or something super cheap) - going off this too i like to move my jewellery about, like today for example i have a locket with a skull on and i changed it’s chain to a shorter one so then it can be stacked different with another necklace than what i usually do y’know ? it just means i don’t always have to do the same stack of necklaces every time, i can change them about to work with my outfit easy too and it keeps it all a bit more fresh looking i suppose !

oh and see if your parents/grandparents have any old jewellery they’d give you !! honestly you’d be surprised, i asked my dad not long ago and he gave me a lot of old rings from dead relatives i had never met and some then random but very cute bracelets hehe :-) and if there’s anything you don’t really want anymore see if any of your friends would wanna trade with you (same with clothes too if you have friends who are the same size and have the same style as you !)

for building up a collection honestly i’d say to just get pieces you know you’ll keep for a long time (hopefully forever !!) and getting pieces that you know you can wear with loads of different things etc if you get me ? like easy to dress up or down !! and of course make sure you look after your jewellery :-) i’m not sure what else i can suggest other than that i’m sorry !! but yeah i hope all of this was some help to you at least :-) take care <33 mwah mwah

[lemonbombsfjl]

Our holiday wishlist

ETA: updated 11/24/23

Okay, there are technical issues with the My Registry website. Shipping address is not being provided as it should.

Three options kit: I can put it all on Amazon, which I really wanted to avoid; I can give anyone participating my address to send things directly, or you can send me funds to buy stuff locally. So far people have taken me up on the latter two options. Let me know/DM me.

No good deed goes unpunished, I suppose.

——————————————————————

The holidays are coming. Could you bring two disabled ladies some cheer?

I live in supportive housing,* in an ordinary apartment in a normal building in Brooklyn, due to cPTSD*, physical disabilities, illnesses, anxiety disorder. Most of my SSI* income pays for my housing. I have SNAP,* but nothing else.

During COVID lockdown, the second bedroom was vacant for two years. It was miserable lonely! 😢 Last month, a young woman who also has remarkably (sadly) similar disabilities moved it. ❤️ Miraculously, we get along great! However, she had just the clothes on her back (not even winter clothes!) and not much else. Her SSI is still pending, so she has no income to speak of. Neither of us have family. I asked friends for clothes donations and gave her some of my winter gear.

🫶We are grateful for what we have, but the reality is that we are living beneath the poverty line. We have to pay for laundry, transportation, cleaning supplies, toiletries. We do not receive any handouts. 💸 Most charities cut back on that after giving their all for COVID victims. 😔

What I would like, for both of us, is to have a lovely holiday. We can put together good meals; we will handcraft gifts for each other.🧶 But we cannot participate in holiday shopping, concerts, and other 🔔local traditions due to poverty & our disorders. We cannot travel to visit friends. We do not have cable/streaming services or a way to play music.🎵We do not have a tree. 🎄

The popular attitude of “this holiday is for us, but NOT for you” “be grateful you are not on the street” is elitist, smothering, depressing, hurtful. We are already dealing with the huge pain of traumas and neglect; we do not deserve this. No disabled person does. The sadness makes all our issues worse.

My roommate doesn’t know yet: I have put together a registry with lots of small items — we don’t need all, I just wanted there to be lots of choices! —for little treats that would make our season festive. Everything under $20, most around $5. If there are two items, it is to reflect our differing tastes.

None of these items are affiliate links.

We would be forever, forever grateful, for any little thing sent. We will pay it forward whenever possible. Thank you.

If anyone wants to know how to help with our day to day needs, DM me on IG.

[No MLMs, job stuff— we are permanently disabled & unable to work. If you can’t help for the sake of the season, without strings attached, you need to read A Christmas Carol and pay attention!]

*click links below for info

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supportive_housing

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_post-traumatic_stress_disorder

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Security_Income

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program

[fashioneditswebsite]

"Experts in second-hand shopping share their top tips for finding the best bargains."

Over the past few years, second-hand shopping has become more accessible, fashionable, and essential. Vintage fashion and thrifting have become a staple for many Gen Z individuals for several reasons, including sustainability, affordability, and uniqueness. According to a recent survey by ShipStation, over a third of shoppers now choose to buy pre-owned items over new ones each month. Amy Bannerman, a pioneer of pre-loved fashion and the mind behind Love Island’s eBay wardrobe, questions why people don't shop second-hand more often, highlighting the affordability and individual style that can be achieved through second-hand shopping. Bannerman, who has styled celebrities like Dua Lipa and Sophie Turner, believes that fashion doesn't need to be new to be exciting. Top thrifting experts provide tips on why and how to shop second-hand in September. Why shop second-hand? It’s no secret that the quality of high-street clothes has declined in recent years. The rise of fast fashion has meant garments are commissioned to be made quicker, cheaper, and in higher quantities. This, roughly translated, means dresses are no longer lined, jumpers have too short sleeves and loose threads are commonplace. These aspects have arisen from the ‘quantity over quality’ mantra repeated in the fashion industry over recent years. Furthermore, fast-fashion garments are no longer as affordable as when they first appeared on the shelves: an unlined blouse from Zara costs $59. Where to start View this post on Instagram A post shared by Besma | Curiously Conscious (@besmacc) According to sustainable fashion influencer Besma Whayeb, figuring out your style and what makes you feel confident is key to successful second-hand shopping. Once you've done this, you can refine your searches on second-hand websites with specific keywords. Second-hand shopping isn’t just about buying. Becky Chorlton, who goes by @BeckysBazaar online, earns around 3,000 a month from live-streaming the sale of her old clothes. Expert Quick Tips Measurements Second-hand shopping requires knowing your measurements, as sizes can vary depending on the decade and location of the clothing. This allows you to play around with the fit of clothing items, accessorizing and altering. Hacking high end Second-hand shopping also applies to high fashion. This year, New York and London Fashion Week will feature eBay’s first-ever pre-loved show, curated by Amy Bannerman, and archival pieces from designers like Vivienne Westwood and Molly Goddard. Rinse and repeat Revisiting your charity shop at the start of the season means there will be more turnover as people do their seasonal clear-outs (Alamy/PA) According to Lucy Norris, regular visits to your local charity shop increase your chances of finding something special, as the inventory changes frequently. Alerts and alarms Setting alerts on large platforms like Vinted or finding second-hand sources for specific brands can save you time by avoiding searching through unwanted items. Fabrics Whayeb always avoids synthetic fibers. “You can tell if an item is low quality by looking at how it’s made, how it was sewn, and by checking the care label,” she says, “even when I’m shopping second-hand, I want the garment to last at least 30 wears and washes.” Checking your items aren’t made up of plastic will ensure their longevity (James North/PA) Out of fashion Bannerman’s chief rule to hacking the best vintage finds is to shop out of season. “Every time winter comes back, people look for that same trending coat. Not only will it mean your chances of winning that item are lower, but it will also mean the price will be inflated. “My advice is to beat the crowds by shopping out of season, so search for that coat you’ve always wanted when it’s hot outside or look for that floaty summer dress on a cold winter’s day.” Nail the bid There’s more to bidding than giving your highest figure. “I recommend bidding a more unexpected and uneven figure than others might and bidding just before the auction ends,” says Bannerman. “For example, if you put $52.86 and someone else has bid $50 (most people do even numbers), you are more likely to win. “ Read the full article

[emdhkingston]

2. Please contextually reference your subject matter. What art, design, cultural, historic references can you look at to gain insight? Describe them and why they are relevant. (650 words)

My Final Major Project starting point is based on something I have noticed is a human behaviour common to many people. Many of the references I have gathered in my blog have been behaviours such as collecting things like stamps, letters and tickets, or finding lost things and putting them in visible places like gloves on railings. There is a book called the Museum of Innocence which is about a man who is in love with his distant cousin, an in it he collects pieces of things she discards to make a ‘museum’ dedicated to her. It was made into an exhibition at Somerset House which recreated these vignettes of the woman’s life. The idea of an identity being made up through small pieces of physical ephemera feels closely tied to my area of interest. A photographer whose work documents the disarray of junk drawers is Tomas Teodosijev. He took photos of his father’s drawers full of objects that to him were organised in a system, but to his son looked like a mess. 

A concept that I have been coming back to throughout my investigation of starting points has been Marie Kondo and her tidying methods. It is a way of organising every aspect of your home so that everything is visible, accessible and maintainable. I’ve tried before to store my things in this way, but I find it really hard. It is based around making all clothes the same shape so that they are uniform, however my clothes are all different shapes and sizes and don’t fit into a universal folded square. I’m interested in the anomalies to this technique – I want to know where Marie Kondo keeps her receipts when she gives gifts and whether she has post-its and magnets on her fridge. I would be interested to find out more about different sorting systems for categorising and storing things. What counts as ‘miscellaneous’? 

A television show reference that contextually links to my starting point is Bagpuss. It is an old series from the 1970s about a shop of lost and found things. It doesn’t sell anything but houses lost things collected by a young girl, Emily, and the toys in the shop try to work out how to help the lost thing get back to the owner. This links because the shop is essentially a place where lost things go to become un-lost. The film Amelie also explores ideas around lost things, as well as how an identity can be discovered through discarded things. Amelie returns a tin of lost toys to their owner and another character picks up photos from photo booths that have been left behind. He loses his picture album and she helps him to find it. 

A place that I took inspiration from when investigating areas of interest for my Final Major Project was the London Tube Lost and Found. All of the umbrellas, bags, and extremely random objects that got lost on the Underground would be collected and stored in this unit for three months before being given to charity. I think it is exciting to consider how all of these disparate things with so many backgrounds, functions and materials can become a collection because they have one thing in common; being lost. 

[yankpop]

Yandere NCT 127: When you wear revealing clothes

All copyrights belong to @yankpop (aka me) so do not post/translate my works on any other platforms without my consent/knowledge.

Check more: Masterlist.

Female reader

WARNINGS: Toxic relations; manipulation; degradation; slut-shaming; implied violence, harassment.

AN: For the context it's when you are dating. Hope you guys enjoy it 💖 also check out Taeyong's new youtube channel and his Lonely performance. It's really good!

-

Taeil

Taeil doesn’t exactly like it when you wear short clothes, he’s a bit traditional when it comes to that. But he won’t say a thing about it, Taeil doesn’t want to ruin your trust in him. He’d prefer to just stand by you and throw deadly looks at any person - male and female - that dares to look at you for more than half a second, giving them annoyed remarks about where the hell they were looking at and how dare they look at you in such a disgusting manner.

After a while, Taeil would use his “lack of confidence” and his “fear of you leaving him” to make you stop wearing those clothes. He’d act as if every guy (and girl) would try to take you away from him and how you were probably gonna leave him for someone better than him. By using his own weaknesses, Taeil would be successful in stopping you from having such clothing items.

“You’re gonna end up leaving me, aren’t you? I can feel it. I’m sure of it. Now that you have more guys interested in you, you’re just gonna abandon me.”

Johnny

The only times Johnny allows you to wear something more revealing are the fancy galas and charity parties he occasionally attends. Doesn’t care if you’re wearing a long elegant gown or a short sexy dress as long as you’re showing a good amount of skin to the public. He actually enjoys showing you off, knowing other people will look at you yet you’re completely and uniquely his.

It really turns him on when you’re being irresistible and attractive but always knowing that he is your true owner. You’re his property and while others may observe you, Johnny is the only one that can touch you. He’d go as far as buying a neck choker with his name encrusted in gold, so everyone knows for sure that you’re his and his only.

“I hope the crowd enjoy this glorious sight, baby, cause that’s the only thing these creatures are getting from you.”

Taeyong

At first, Taeyong didn’t think much of it, barely even noticing that the outfits you started wearing were too revealing but as time went by, he quickly noticed all the appreciative looks you started receiving all thanks to your new “style”. All the attention you began receiving from boys made him concerned. What if you tried leaving him? Keeping that in mind, Taeyong continued posing as a supportive boyfriend while preparing something to put an end not it.

He’d arrange for a rented actor to aggressively come onto you and mildly harass you due to your “sexiness”. Of course, Taeyong would make sure the guy stays within limits but to make sure to scare you. That way, when you’d come home crying your eyes out because of some pervert that catcalled you in the street, Taeyong would pose as a concerned partner, who would wipe your tears, comfort you and sweetly suggest that you should change your wardrobe into more modest clothes. Which you’d accomply, cause the whole event was simply too bad to handle again.

“Aww, babe, please, don’t cry. That guy was simply an asshole, you know that. Next time, just wear regular clothes and no one will bother you, trust me.”

Yuta

You’ll always wear what he wants and that’s the final decision. Wearing tight shorts or low-cut tops? Never. Actually, you won’t even get that far because Yuta is always around you, including during your shopping trips. He’d lurk around as you chose clothes, keeping an eye on every item you pick and, in the end, only what he approves is going home with you.

His logic? That he knows how cruel and ruthless people are, and unless you wanna be called a slut then you’ll wear exactly what he wants. Yuta knows you get upset at that, but he makes sure to emphasize that everything he does is for you and your well-being. He only wants to take care of you and he - as your boyfriend - knows how to do so, even better than you. So, just do what he says, and you’ll be fine.

“No, babe, I don’t really like those shorts. They're too… short. You know what people will say, right? I just don’t want you getting hurt by mean people. Put those shorts back, we’ll find proper jeans for you instead.”

Doyoung

Doyoung is the type of boyfriend who nags and bothers until you finally accomply with something. He’d hate seeing you wear such short clothes, shamelessly showing your body to everyone. He’d hate it when you wear such tempting short skirts, exposing your bare legs like that. He’d hate it when you wear tight shirts that marked the outline of your chest, leaving very little to imagination. He’d absolutely hate all of that.

All of this would lead to Doyoung trying to stop you from wearing such provocative clothes with his incessant begging, nagging and eventually by yelling. Trust me, he’s very persistent when he wants something and he never stops until he gets what he wants. If you push him far enough, Doyoung is going to resort to forcing you to exchange clothes with his own hands, which won’t be nice for you at all. He’ll use force to make you accomply to his wishes, although that’s the last resort to get what he wants.

“Again with those clothes? Didn’t I tell you not to wear them again? Go change them, you know I dislike them. Are you deaf? I said go change them. And do it fast.”

Jaehyun

Jaehyun is quite subtle yet effective when it comes to changing your mind about the type of outfits you chose. He enjoys modern yet modest clothes on you, so if you wear something that doesn’t accomply to his criteria, Jaehyun wouldn't directly tell you to change it, instead opting for other ways to get his way. He likes being seen as a good boyfriend and the last thing he needs is for you to start suspecting of him being a controlling boyfriend, which he definitely is, but in his own crafty ways.

He’d manipulate you, aiming towards your self-confidence to make you abide to his wishes. You were fairly confident in a new look you wanted to experiment? Not after Jaehyun is done with you. He might go easy at first, but as time progresses, his “sincere opinions” on your outfits would progressively get more and more insulting and degrading to the point of completely messing up with your confidence.

“Oh, is that a crop top? It’s….hum…it looks okay, I guess. It kinda makes you look… I don’t know. Maybe a simple t-shirt would look better though.”

WinWin

WinWin would be quite hurt and upset if you chose to go out with an outfit that revealed too much. He’d sulk for the entire time and ignore you, just like you ignored his opinion.

Winwin would feel genuinely despised by you, almost like you didn’t even care about his concerns. How could you betray him like that? Showing your body to other people like it was no big deal? That's why he’d give you the cold shoulder. Eventually his unresponsive attitude would be successful in breaking your determination in wearing the new clothes as you’d want your nice boyfriend back, hating to see him upset over something so little.

In the end, Winwin didn’t even have to force you to do anything, you’d simply break under the treatment you’d receive from your boyfriend. And even worse, he’d guilt trip you into believing that you were the one wrong in doing such actions when you know Winwin would never do the same to you.

“You’re sorry? It’s okay, I forgive you. You’re never gonna wear those awful clothes ever again, right?”

Jungwoo

No, no, no. Not gonna happen, at least not during his watch. Jungwoo is gonna be annoyed at your change of style and also quite suspicious at your behavior. Why would you suddenly have such an interest towards such seductive clothes? Lifting your self-confidence, his ass. He’s certain you are thinking about cheating on him with just any random guy that you manage to catch the attention by wearing those slutty clothes.

Every clothing piece that he considers “inappropriate” is gonna come back from laundry completely torn apart with massive damages to the point of no recovery, leaving you no choice but to throw them away. Even if you buy more similar clothes, they too would receive the same sad destiny. So there’s only one solution and that’s you giving up to him.

“What happened to your skirt? What should’ve happened earlier. You actually thought I'd let you wear that thing so you can go out and leave me for another guy, is that it? Not gonna happen.”

Mark

Mark’s initial approach was to smoothly convince you to change clothes into something that provided more “coverage” but as soon as you fight back, things would escalate rather quickly and once you realize, you’re both engaged in a heated argument over your clothes or according to Mark, the lack of them. His jealous side would take control of him, refusing to let you outside while wearing something so provocative that everyone would see, especially guys.

He’d give you multiple reasons to back up his point of view yet if that doesn’t work and if Mark gets angry enough, then he’d lock you in the bedroom and leave you there until you decide to change clothes. Getting late for college? Not his problem. You can change outfits first and then go attend college, but until more cloth covers your exposed skin, you’ll be staying in the room.

“You got late for college this morning? And? It's not my fault. If you had listened to me, that wouldn’t have happened. So, blame it on yourself.”

Haechan

Haechan is clever and cunning, so he’d never directly approach the issue that has been bothering him. He hates watching you wear all those short and teasing clothes, exposing so much of your skin. It’s something only he is supposed to be allowed to see, yet you have to be like this. It really annoys him how ignorant you are, but he’ll work on getting things back on the right track.

Haechan would pay some people to spread rumors about you, on how you were cheating on him, that you were such a bad girlfriend given the slutish way you dressed, that you were wearing those clothes to get just any guy’s attention. All sorts of horrible rumors that Haechan could think of and as long as they did the job, he doesn’t even care. And of course, they worked.

Give it a week or two of being judged by people you thought were your friends and you’d go back to your old simple style. Haechan doesn’t even have to be the bad guy in this scenario as he’d be the one giving you comfort and solace after being slut-shamed by your fake friends. 2 birds with one stone.

“I had no idea those people were this cruel. And I thought you were their friend. Guess not, apparently. But it’s okay, babe, you’ll always have me, I promise.”

-

Tags:

@mwitsmejk

[lady-literature]

Accidental Crime Boss Marinette

Okay so,, I have this AU in my head, right? (not surprised) and I’m lacking any real direction for it (still not surprised) but it basically goes like this:

Marinette moves to Gotham.

She’s drawn there for whatever reason and the kwami are saying something about balance and being a Guardian and her sacred duty and something but Marinette isn’t really listening. She’s too busy trying to find a shop front where she can open a bakery without having to worry about getting mugged every time she steps outside.

Chloé comes with her, obviously, because they’re friends and Chloé has a business degree she puts to good use actually running Mari’s bakery and online boutique while Mari gets to bake and fuck around basically. Adrien, Luka and Kagami are not there, but that’s mostly because they travel too much to settle down and keeping an empty apartment in Gotham is just asking for trouble.

Kagami is a world-renowned fencer and Luka travels the world for his music company. Not touring, but soaking up cultures and ways of life so he can make soundtracks to movies and tv shows. Providing the background and life to a film is more his style than touring the world ala his father, Jagged Stone.

Adrien is having the time of his life being Kagami’s trophy husband. He has no pressing responsibilities he doesn’t take on for himself and he gets to fuck with the world’s elite with little to no consequences. He spends most of his days donating far too much money to charities and orphanages and then causing minor scandals that land him on the cover of magazines.

He has much the same kind of ‘dumbass with a heart of gold’ persona to the media as Bruce Wayne does, only without the playboy bits.

(There is a wall in the back of the bakery, where Chloé and Mari carefully cut out and frame every headline and ridiculous picture Adrien has. He is very much delighted when he learns about his ‘wall of fame’.)

Anyway, Marinette finds herself with a bakery not overly far from crime alley, much to Chloé’s chagrin.

(“What do you mean it ‘just felt right’?! I swear to kwami, DC, you’re going to get us robbed and sold into slavery.”)

They do not get sold into salvery.

In fact, despite their less than stellar choice of locale, they do pretty well for themselves. The only problems they have (according to Chloé) is the army of children Marinette accidentally attracted.

When asked, Marinette tells everyone that it was an accident. Meanwhile, Chloé, standing behind her, will shake her head and insist there was literally never any other option for them the moment that first kid came in looking to nab some cash and a few pastries.

Mari lives by the phrases, ‘kindness breeds more kindness’ and ‘do unto others’ and all that other nice person shit. Chloé just lets Mari pseudo-adopt her strays and makes sure that they don’t steal anything too important in the time it takes her to gain their loyalty.

The kwami stay staunchly out of any arguments involving the kids (and eventually the homeless all along their street and every working girl in a five-block radius). They do so with a special brand of amusement that never means good things for either of them. (After all, the last time the kwami looked that amused, they moved to Gotham.)

The first kid is named Serrure, as Marinette comes to learn over the next month after he returns again and again, getting closer and closer like a feral cat. Other kids come during that time, all of them too small and too thin and too guarded for Mari's tastes. She wants to wrap them all up and tuck them into bed but she can’t. She has to be patient, has to be gentle. These kids are just as likely to bite her hand as they are to accept help.

Serrure becomes an almost permanent fixture at the bakery after that first month. Mari’s not quite sure what she did to get through to him, but she did, she supposes. He can’t be much older than eleven and looks nine, but after getting settled, she and Chloé discover this little slip of a boy is just as mischievous as Trixx and has all the dramatics of their favorite black cat.

The kwami, when talking about him, only refer to Serrure as Loki, even after Marinette scolds them for it. She eventually gives up trying to correct them, it’s not like Serrure talks to them anyway(yet)((that she knows of)).

There’s an apartment above the bakery, which is where Chloé and Mari and all her strays that grow to trust her enough live. It’s three bedrooms, and at first, Mari just buys as many bunk beds as she can fit into the spare room and calls it a day. The kids feel safe in her home, which isn’t too surprising. Everyone thinks the bakery feels safe, feels like home or comfort or whatever else eases their minds.

And Marinette should hopes so. She certainly put enough time and effort and magic and energy into the wards around this place for that to happen. To protect her and the children and all her strays that no one else will help.

But, she eventually amasses too many kids to fit into the one room. Chloé throws a fit about having to share with Mari again—“I had enough of that in university thank you very much”—but she relinquishes easily enough.

Mari buys more bunk beds, and Serrure has taken to sneaking into her room to curl up in her bed anyway, and sometimes the smaller kids who have nightmares will come in and pile on as well.

(There are only a few that Chloé will allow to do the same with her. It is considered a high honor and breeds a playful kind of jealousy that Chloé finds amusing. Mari scolds her for pitting the kids against each other.)

That only lasts them another two months.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Chloé tells her one day before the kids wake up. Mari is at the stove, cooking and baking for a small army while Chloé balances the books. “There’s not enough room for us all, DC, and the only reason someone hasn’t come barrelling down on us about the abundance of children is by the grace of your absurd amount of luck.”

“Well I can’t just kick them out, Queenie! What do you want from me?”

“Either we need to buy more real estate in this city—which I’d rather not do—or you open up the grimoire and start building pocket dimensions. I know you can. I’ve read the chapter.”

Marinette looks at her. “That is such a bad idea.”

They do the idea.

And then Mari adds about a thousand more wards to the bakery, carved into the wood and counter and anything that’s a permanent fixture. Doorways become particularly ward heavy, what with them being the entrances and exits to the hidden realms and children’s’ rooms.

The apartment above the bakery isn’t quite infinite but it gets pretty damn close some days.

This also means, of course, that all the kids definitely know about magic now. Some of them—Serrure—have known about it for a while she knows, but it’s different now. The kwami followed her around most of the time and she doesn’t keep them trapped in the Miracle Box like Fu did, but now that the kids know, they don’t bother staying hidden.

The children, at least, love them and the kwami adore them with all the ferocity a god can give. After Chloé gets over her ‘ew children’ phase, she throws herself into their education (on top of actually running the businesses Mari keeps, mind you). She has the help of the kwami, who act as personal tutors to the children, and it’s not long before the kids start to joke about her being the Principal.

(Some tried to call her Warden, but that joke didn’t last long.)

Marinette has also been telling the kids bedtime stories ever since this started. Old stories of the Guardian and Chosens who fought back the darkness, she shares all she knows of the Orders history with these kids and it’s not until Wayzz points it out to her does she realize what she’s doing.

“Ladybugs are known for renewal. It is no surprise that you are rebuilding what was lost.”

Rebuilding the Order using children was certainly not her intention but, well. She supposes there’s no place safer for her kids than what is shaping up to be the new Miracle Temple. It’s the only haven where they can learn to harness their Gifts and powers, it’s the only place where they can be surrounded by others like them without being thrust into superhero-dom.

Context: about a month into this whole circus, Marinette had realized there was a significant—almost all of them really—amount of metas and Gifted in her little hoard of strays. Which is… odd. Especially with how few metas there are in Gotham.

She had asked the kwami about it, and they have that amused look again. “You are their guardian.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re their guardian. True, you are the Guardian of us, of the ancient ways, but you are a guardian at your soul too. You protect what is yours, and they are yours whether you realise it or not. The children can sense that, so they flock to you.”

And, huh. She supposes that makes sense but that’s also really kind of strange and weird and she doesn't want to think about that anymore actually.

So things are… fine, Marinette supposes. The bakery is doing well, and she has about two dozen-plus helpers running around underfoot to help tend to the customers or run to the store or help in the back with the baking. And every kid of hers has new clothes, their street things thrown out for being too ragged and replaced with something fresh made by Marinette’s own hands.

She embroiders little fairy wings into the clothes normally, because that’s what her cloaked wards look like most times and the kids like it and its technically the logo for the bakery and there’s a million reasons she does it.

It is, perhaps, her first mistake.

(“It was certainly not your first,” Chloé will snark one dayin the future.)

Because now Marinette has an army of magical children learning to wield their powers and not fear them and they’re all wearing what can be considered her insignia and uh oh, it looks a lot like Mari is some sort of up and coming mob boss who uses kids and prostitutes and the homeless as runners. People on the street start calling her the Pixie, start referring to Chloé—her second in all things just as Chat had been her equal—as Wasp, as Yellowjacket, as the Unseelie.

(They cannot seem to pick a name for her, but Pixie is all but engraved in stone. Mari is not sure who coined it, and she doesn't think she wants to know.)

The first time the whole situation is brought to her attention, she punches the idiot who dared even imply such a thing so hard she knocks him out.

Because look. The kids are hers right? And she watches out for the people near her, makes sure the working girls are treated as well as they can be and offers the homeless extra food and a dry place to wait out the storm. She offers her hand and gives them all a place to rest, to eat, to exist without expectations or consequences.

She does that because she’s kind, because it hurts her to see people in need, to see them suffer, not because she’s hoping to gain something from it.

The fact that most of them repay her in gossip or information or bend her ear about the newest goings on in the corrupt elite or filthy underworld is strange, yes, but it’s nice to know what’s going on in the city, she supposes. And one time, Kathy, who works on the corner of Brookes and Gilmore, warned her of a drug raid that saved her an unnecessary trip to the police station so it’s not like it doesn't have it’s uses.

But mostly, Mari doesn't really think about all the information that’s unintentionally or otherwise passed onto her. She remembers it all, because it’s rude not to listen when people talk to her, but nothing comes of normally.

Not until Serrure—now twelve and well versed in the magic of illusions and glamors and knows almost as much about this city as her or the Bats—bursts into the bakery one day and grabs Mari away from the front counter right in the middle of a customer ordering. She should, perhaps, be a little angry at that but Tony, one of the older boys and just shy of sixteen, steps into her place almost immediately, so.

And then Serrure speaks and everything is pushed aside in favour of the next words to fall from his lips.

“Someone took Sophie,” he says and she nearly sees red.

After Serrure, Sophie has been here the longest. She is the youngest of them all, only seven, but oh so clever and kind and while she looks nothing like her, everyone calls her Mini-Mari. If Serrure is her beloved first son, Sophie is her treasured daughter.

She’s out the door in the next moment, storming her way to their base. She has Sophie and a handful of extra kids back by sunset, a little frightened, but no worse for wear. She doesn’t make a big deal out of it, besides making sure that the idiots who dared cross her never do so again, but word gets out.

Soon, her kids and teens and adults begin giving her more than just information, they begin giving her problems. Ones she’s meant to fix because she’s Pixie. She’s safety, she’s protection, she’s the one the people start to turn to for help.

And enter stage left, one Jason Todd who’s all snark and charm and smiles wrapped up in a nice leather bow and tall enough that Mari likely could climb him like a tree. If that was something she wanted, she guesses.

(She wants. She just won’t admit.)

He becomes a regular at the bakery and befriends most of her kids.

Mari’s wary when he first takes an interest in them. They’ve been hurt and a lot of them are still adjusting to being safe and it doesn't matter that this man is hot enough to burn, if he steps even a toe out of line with her kids she’ll make him wish he was never even born.

But, she stops worrying eventually. The kwami like him well enough, but seem to think something’s odd about him—but its Gotham, who isn’t strange?—and both Serrure and Sophie take to him like ducks to water and they’re both good judges of character.

There’s a certain intuition they both have that reminds Marinette just a bit too much about herself and pure magic. Not for the first time does she wonder if they got such strong magic from their parents or if it cropped up in them randomly, fostered by fortune and chance and the magic that’s so deeply seeped into the bones of her bakery it’ll be here long after she’s gone.

And, okay, so she was a little right to be wary because Jason was mostly there to investigate her. Far too many people respect her and are loyal to her and she has a veritable orphanage in her pocket and also Harley and Ivy like her and it just- it doesn’t look good right?

But Jason’s a good detective and it doesn't take him long at all to see that Mari is just as sweet and kind and loving as she appears to be. Not long after that, Red Hood declares Pixie and all of hers, under his protection. She, of course, is more than capable of taking care of her and hers, and the underworld knows this, has seen it, but he does it anyway.

The news, of course, gets back to Mari and she is… confused. Why would the Red Hood do something like that? She’s heard talk of him being sweet on kids, but to claim her? They’ve never even met.

Bonus points for Jason being there when she’s told about it. He kind of raises his eyebrow at her because, huh, that was fast, and then spends the next few minutes talking up the Red Hood to her much to her utter bafflement.

He actually keeps doing that too, talking up the Red Hood. Mari thinks he has a crush on the man for the longest time because of it. Until he reveals he is Red Hood, then she just wants to punch his stupidly handsome face for being such an idiot.

Shit happens from there and things go down and the two spend a couple of months dancing around each other and intentionally and unintentionally ruling the criminal underworld and at one point Marinette definitely punches Bruce and Batman in the face—separately, much to Jason’s unending joy—and she also definitely adopts Duke/Signal as well because that poor boy needs to know he’s not alone.

And it’s just them being domestic and badass and lowkey raising an army of children and falling in love while the kwami and the kids and Chloé are all in the background just yelling at them to get together already!

Which, they do. Eventually. After all the secrets come out and Jason knows about the magic and Order and meets Mari’s other friends, ie Kagami, Luka and Adrien who are all intimidating for wildly different reasons. And Mari finds out that Jason died and came back (which earns him the nickname firebird btw) and that he was a Robin once upon a time but is now Red Hood and oh my kwami it all makes sense now.

Jason confesses like three times via classic Victorian romance novel quotes because he’s a fucking literature nerd but it’s not until he basically spells it out for Mari does she really understand. it’s all very sweet and heartwarming and then the pair duck into one of the empty pocket dimensions they have lying around and aren’t seen for three days.

(No one really goes to look for them tbh)

Chloé definitely teases them about early honeymoons and things but besides the two being even more ridiculously lovey-dovey than usual, life goes back to normal. Or as normal as it gets for them. 

And they all live happily ever after the end.

[after-witch]

Yandere Ransom Imagine

“That's some heavy-duty conjecture.”

Word Count: 2700ish

notes: unhealthy relationships, emotional and physical abuse, financial abuse, yandere

Imagine being a struggling adult working a full time job plus freelancing gigs just to get by in your one-bedroom apartment where the ceiling always leaks when it rains and you have to perform a complicated maneuver to make sure the door doesn’t jam up on you and you’re constantly worried about your landlord raising the rent.

Maybe a well-meaning friend gets you a gift card to an upscale bookstore because they know you haven’t had a new book on your shelves in years, or maybe you find $20 on the street like a veritable Charlie Bucket but instead of buying a Wonka Bar you head into a this fantastic artisan coffee shop on the rich side of town, a place that everyone always raves about on Instagram, just so you can try an expensive latte with hand-ground beans and flavors you’ve never heard of before--because don’t you deserve a treat, for once?

Whatever it is, wherever it is, Hugh Ransom Drysdale is waiting inside and sees you there.

And oh my God is it obvious that you’re out of place right off the bat. I mean, what the hell is someone like you doing in this part of town?

With your worn out clothes that are worn from necessity and not from being fashionably thrifted and your ratty purse stuffed with papers and candy wrappers that spill out when you dig in for your card or cash and your winter boots that you’ve probably worn 5 years in a row, ripped in the hell and patched with black tape that you hope people don’t notice.

It becomes even more obvious that you’re out of your element when something goes wrong. The gift card isn’t activated. The $20? A fake, probably a movie prop that blew in the wind. Whatever goes wrong, it means that you’re suddenly at the register, impatient people with real money tapping their expensive shoes behind you, unable to pay. You’re left standing there like a deer in headlights, unsure of what to do or say.

Normally he might just roll his eyes and remind himself that people like you ought to stick to your own shops, your own place. But something about the way your eyes go all downcast and you seem to shrink down in embarrassment makes him take pity on you. Like a stray cat in the alley hoping someone will toss it some scraps.

So he strides up and flicks out a card and hands it to the cashier, dropping a friendly greeting to them because he spends like crazy and they probably know him by name at this place, and he’s the one who hands you your coffee or your bag and your hands touch ever so briefly during the exchange.

He leads you away from the register--don’t want to piss off the spoiled debutantes and assistants on lunchtime coffee runs--and you stammer out a thank-you-thank-you and you promise you’ll pay him back as soon as you can and Jesus Christ, isn’t that just adorable? Someone like you, some lost kicked puppy who can’t even afford new boots, promising to pay him back?

He doesn’t care if you pay him back, but he finds that he would like something out of this exchange, so he says that instead of paying him back you can do him the honor of going to lunch with him. His treat. 

He insists. And you can’t really say no, can you? You are hungry and he did just pay for your things and it’s the least you can do to oblige his request.

He’s not stupid. He doesn’t take you to some razzle dazzle fancy restaurant where you’ll feel embarrassed and out of place. Instead he takes you to a quiet diner, classy not greasy, where you can have an easy conversation and tell him all about yourself.

It’s funny. Normally he brings up his family name, his grandfather’s books, to women he picks up, to get them impressed and hooked and pliable. Something about you, though. Something about you is making him want to turn this into more than a lunch date and pressure for a quickie in the car to repay him. 

So he holds back to see what he can do with you on his own. No quickie in the car, but instead before he drops you off--at a bus station, you insisted--he brushes his hand over yours. Can he get your number? He swears he can feel the heat coming off your cheeks as you fumble for your phone and let him put his number in your contacts.

He waits a day, then asks you out again. Dinner, this time. He asks you if you know any good places and you recommend a dive bar that you can go to after work (because 1) schedule and 2) cheap) and shit, he’s all for it. There will be time in the future to impress you with restaurants that have dress codes instead of sticky floors. You sit close on the stools and you buy him a drink (real cute, real real cute) and just for you he keeps the baggie in his pocket there all night instead of heading to the bathroom to liven things up.

Your relationship develops with an almost shocking speed. He knows just how to reel you in. I mean--look at you. Working your ass off at some dead end job, living in an apartment so shitty it takes you almost a month before you reluctantly agree to let him see it.

He can understand, though. Because you’re not that stupid and you know he’s wealthy, even before he casually brings up his family in a “it’s no big deal but I don’t want to keep things from you because we’re getting serious” sort of way. 

You pretend to be casual about it all, but he can tell you’re suddenly wondering: why the hell would someone from this wealthy family want anything to do with me?

It’s a question Ransom asks himself a lot. He asks himself this when he’s snorting coke off another woman’s stomach (hey, you’re dating, but he’s got needs and they aren’t met with hand-holding) or when he’s eating another greasy burger at a shitty bar because you refuse to let him buy you a nice dress to wear so he can take you out somewhere fancy.

You’re not the type of person he normally goes for, not at all. He has strings of girlfriends and flings, but they all tend to fit that same cookie cutter mold: wealthy do-nothings with their parent’s credit card who want someone else to spoil them for a while, without caring who it is or what they’re like. They’re easy pickings that Ransom can burn through and then toss aside when he’s bored of them. Some of them cry but a few days later he’ll see them on someone else’s arm, it’s the circle of life.

With you, though, there’s more. You don’t expect him to pay for dates or anything at all (even when he wants to spoil you a bit) and you have actual conversations and you seem to actually give a shit about what he says and does. You argue with him, too, when he wants you to do something (just let him take you shopping, for Christ’s sake!) or he asks you to move in (again) and you say no (again). I mean, you really fight with him, spitting words and all.

And unlike his previous girlfriends, you don’t come crawling back a few hours later because you want to buy a new purse with his shiny credit card. Instead, you make him apologize first. Fuck, that’s hot. It’s also something he tucks away in the back of his mind to work on later--but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t admit that he sometimes has the overwhelming urge to push you against the wall and fuck you for the first time right after a good argument. 

But he knows that would destroy your image of him entirely, so he holds back. He’s good at crafting a version of himself that appeals to others when he has to, and you’re maybe the first person that’s been worth all the effort he’s put into you so far.

But you need a push, a push that makes it so you can’t go running back to your shithole apartment when you fight or when you question whether or no you two have a future. You do, you’re just too naive--too inexperienced with money, to say it charitably--to realize it.

So he tips off the fire marshal about your apartment building’s shoddy fire escapes and well, damn, in the process of the investigation all the little corners that your landlord has cut come crashing down. At least they were discovered before it was the building that came crashing down.

But the evacuation of the building leaves you--and countless others--high and dry. You don’t have any family in the area, and your only half ass-decent friend in the city lives in the same building but her parent’s aren’t going to let a stranger move in.

When you finally realize you have no options and call him, voice tentative and embarrassed, he knows just what to say to get you to pack your meager belongings and wait for him to pick you up. He’s no-nonsense about it. 

He knows how to avoid deflating your pride, how to keep you from deciding you’d rather stay in a shelter than take his charity. You’ll pay him back, he says, you’ll figure out a rental plan or whatever. He even teases--he’s not the best landlord, but he won’t take 2 weeks to change the toilet if you submit a maintenance request. It makes you crack a smile and bam, just like that, he knows he’s gotten in.

That night, after takeout and wine and a Netflix movie neither of you paid attention to, you fuck for the first time on his expensive sheets on his expensive bed and afterwards, when you’re both sweating and cuddling and reveling in the afterglow, he makes a note to buy you some new lingerie. 

It’s all very homey, for a while. He could do without you leaving for work and working your ass off, with your freelance shit, sometimes staying on the computer until two, three in the morning. But it’s nice to have you close all the time, available to him whenever (almost whenever) he wants. He brings home takeout and you snuggle on the couch and he finally even convinces you to go out with him to a nice restaurant wearing something he’s bought and hot damn, do you look good, head-to-toe in the clothing he’s chosen for you. Especially, later that night, in private, in the lingerie. 

Does he love you? The word hasn’t left his lips yet, hasn’t crossed yours either, but he can feel it underneath the surface. No. It’s more than love. He wants you. He wants to have you. And not just for the afternoon or the summer, but forever. 

He spins daydreams about how he’ll clean you up nice and introduce you to the family. Probably to Harlan, first, because everyone knows that’s whose opinion really matters. Harlan will like you--he would probably like you without any primping or fixing, actually, which is more than he could say for his parents or anyone else in the family. Then once you’re in, you’re in--you’ll come to family dinners and vacation retreats where people always end up in ridiculous arguments, and you two can exchange snarky comments about the family on the ride home.

And yeah, sure. You fight sometimes.

He throws out your old clothes and buys you a wardrobe befitting someone he wants to integrate into his family. You fight about that.

He makes comments about you how you should quit your job or at least try to get a degree--he’ll pay, as long as you agree to go to a university within driving distance--to work somewhere more respectable than a chain restaurant. You fight about that.

He gets pissed when you want to meet some “friends” at a bar without him, because why would you need to go anywhere without your loving boyfriend in tow, unless you were trying to flirt with someone else? You definitely fight about that.

And, okay. Maybe he’s hypocritical.

Maybe he goes out late at night when you’re stuck doing your “freelancing work” and he’s in a rotten mood about it, and he ends up on the floor of a swanky club with drugs in his system and lipstick on his neck. He doesn’t come home until the next morning and you’re pissed and red-eyed and arguing with him, accusing him even, but you have no shitty apartment to stomp back to anymore so you’re stuck. 

Until you’re not stuck. Until he casually snoops through your phone and sees that you’re looking up cheap-ass apartments and hey, you’ve already booked a few interviews already. The thought of you slipping through his fingers makes him more sober than he’s been in a while. He’s got to do something. Not to himself, of course. But to you. To keep you with him.

It’s easy enough to get you fired. He’s a ‘Thrombey’ after all, and some nice crisp bills anonymously sent to the right hands is all it takes for you to come home one night, cheap mascara (he notes: buy you some better quality makeup soon) running down your cheeks. Your freelancing isn’t nearly enough to get you into an apartment.

He assumes that you’ll give up on the idea after losing your job, but you’re nothing if not stubborn (one of the reasons why he likes you) so you start the job hunt the next morning, fresh mascara in place. 

Damn, do you keep him busy. Anonymous calls. Cash in nice white envelopes. Rejection after rejection. You get so sad, so depressed. You don’t even want to go out to restaurants, so he orders in and you snuggle in his lap while he feeds you bites of orange chicken and rubs your back. It almost brings you two closer again, starts to mend the rifts that began when you refused to get over his occasional late night out.

But then you break the uneasy mending by snooping and woah, you don’t like what you find on his phone. 

You fight. 

Damn, do you fight. This time there’s no pretense of potential forgiveness as you begin wildly throwing your clothes into your ratty duffel bag from the back of the closet, telling him to fuck off fuck off fuck off, telling him he’s crazy, telling him that what he’s doing is fucking illegal and--

It’s the shock that hurts you the most.

The shock you feel when he grips your wrist hard and pushes back on your shoulder when you try to yank away, pushing you against the wall with a hard thud. It’s like having a rug pulled out from underneath your feet when you feel a slight ache in your back, on your shoulders, when you tell him to Let go, goddamn it and he only pushes back harder to keep you in place. It’s Ransom. It’s Ransom who’s doing this.

His voice feels unrecognizably cold when he leans in and hisses in your ear.

“You think you can just leave me? After all I’ve done for you? Let me tell you something--you won’t get another job within one hundred miles of here, within one thousand miles of here, unless I say you can. So just put your clothes back in the closet, chill the fuck out, and stop being such an ungrateful bitch.”

It’s the shock that makes you numbly hang your clothes back up in the closet, fold them again with shaking hands, and sit on the bed until the dam breaks and you cry.

And oh fuck, he’s sorry. Really. He wraps his arm around your shoulders and then he’s the one who’s crying and confessing that he didn’t want you leave him because yeah, he knows he’s a fuck up, he knows he’s got a drug problem, but he loves you. 

It’s the first time he’s ever said it out loud. He loves you. “I love you,” he says, again and again, half-laughing.  And he tells you you’re the only person he’s ever dated that made him want to be a better person but he doesn’t know how.

You don’t know what to say because maybe you do love him--but he hurt you and got you fired, but the tears on his face seem so genuine and he tells you he’ll never, ever hurt you like that again and fuck, he says, if you want to go get a job he’ll drive you to the interview right now just-let-him-blow-his-nose-first-please.

You make him sit down and then you’re the one apologizing and the rest of the afternoon is a shaky truce between you two as you drink hot chocolate and order in takeout and watch a movie together.

It’s not until you’re both under the sheets, satisfied and then showered, that you think about what he did to you in a clearer light. The thoughts weigh heavy on your mind, pulling and tugging. You think you might love him. He hurt you. He took care of you when no one else would. He cheated on you. 

I love you, he tells you, when your mind is starting to tug itself into sleep.

He hit you. He said he was sorry.

He hit you.

[the-ethereal-serpent]

Litha : Ways To Celebrate

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Host A Bonfire

Litha is all about the fiery aspect of the sun, so why not celebrate the fertility of the gods with a blazing, roaring fire in your back yard? It's the longest day of the year, so stay up late and host a bonfire for your friends and family. 

Get sparklers too, and light them after dark. Make an offering to the gods of your tradition. Be sure to follow basic Bonfire Safety Rules, so no one gets hurt at your celebration. You can even incorporate your bonfire into a Litha rite, with the Midsummer Night Fire Ritual.

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Leave An Offering Of Honey Cakes Outside

Preferably somewhere away from your house, as they will attract insects and even wildlife. Litha is said to be one of the two times of year when the “Veil Between Worlds” is the thinnest (the other being Samhain.) According to legend, the fairies and forest spirits are especially active on the night of the summer solstice, and honey is favorite treat.

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Get Back To Nature

Go for a hike in the woods with your family. Enjoy the sounds and sights of nature. Take lots of pictures, or plan a scavenger hunt—have each of the kids bring a "nature bag" to fill up. Remember, don't pick any live plants, unless you're deliberately wildcrafting.

Before you head out, grab a field guide to local plants, and turn it into a teaching exercise, learn to identify what you see out there in the woods. If you take your hike in a public park, bring along a plastic sack to help pick up garbage on your way. If you get the chance to do this alone, try a Nature Meditation in a quiet spot somewhere on your journey.

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Go Camping

If you’re feeling adventurous, but don’t want to leave luxury behind, try glamping and spend a night under the stars in style.

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Get Your Body Moving

Litha is a magical, mystical time of year. Why not host a drum circle or spiral dance? You'll need a large group for this, but it's a lot of fun once you get everyone moving. In addition to being entertaining (and a great stress reliever), a drum circle or a ritualized dance serves another purpose—that of raising energy.

The more you build, the more people will feed off of it. Invite a group of friends over, let them know there will be music and dance, and see what happens. Be sure to provide refreshments for afterwards—drumming and dancing can be draining for some people.

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Go Wildflower Picking

Identify and harvest some wildflowers to use in your summer spell work. Press them in your Book of Shadows if you have one.

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Do Something For Others

Do something for charity. Organize a yard sale and donate the proceeds to a local homeless shelter. Collect gently used summer clothing and give to a local children's hospital. Host a dog-wash for your favorite shelter, and ask customers to either donate cash or pet food. Plan a neighborhood cleanup, and trim and weed common areas in your community. If you don't have time to coordinate a big project—and not everyone does—do things on a smaller scale.

Visit an elderly neighbour and help with her housekeeping. Offer to do grocery shopping for an ill relative. If you know a mom with a brand-new baby, help out with childcare so she can get a few hours of rest. There are any number of things you can do to help others, and with the days being longer, there's plenty of time to get things done!

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Read A Good Book

Summer can be a hectic and chaotic time of year. Maybe you're someone who needs to slow down and take a break. Litha is a good time to rejuvenate, so why not sit out in the sunshine and immerse yourself in a good book. Keep reading material handy all the time, so when you need a little down time, you can work through few pages. If your local library has a summer reading program, sign up.

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Attend A Summer Festival

Litha is the week for pagan festivals. Find one. Attend it. You’ll have a blast, I promise.

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Celebrate Family

Turn off the phone, step away from the computer and television, and spend time just having fun with the people who love you most. Take the day off work if possible and spend it any way you like—go to the zoo, a museum, a ball game, etc. Make this a day that you can do anything you want, and put the schedules away just for one day.

If you're worried that money might hold you back, there's plenty of stuff you can do for free: check your local metro parks for activity schedules, go fishing at a nearby lake or river, and watch the local newspaper for free admission deals at nearby attractions. If getting away for a day isn't possible for you, spend the afternoon at home—play board games, do jigsaw puzzles, and cook a meal together.

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Make A Batch Of Sun Cakes

If you’re a kitchen witch, celebrate this Sabbat by baking! Sun cakes are perfect for the “cakes and ale” portion of a Litha ritual if you celebrate with a coven, or you can use them for offering.

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Clean Things Up

Clean your house. Take advantage of the warm weather to have a garage sale and get rid of all those things you don't want. You can also organize a swap with your friends, or donate all your stuff to charities like Goodwill or Salvation Army. You've got plenty of daylight at Litha, so you can accomplish a lot in just a short period of time.

If your house is a bit daunting, select one room to work on at a time—preferably the one that needs the most help! Wash windows, wipe down baseboards, get rid of stuff you know you'll never use. Organize as you clean, putting donatable items into one pile, and trash in another, so you don't have to sort it later. Turn the project into a ritual with a House Cleaning Rite.

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Make Herbal Candle Rings With Herbs

For the green witch : with your herb garden in full swing, it’s time to make some creative use of it.

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Host A Barbeque For Friends And Family

Have a barbecue, and invite all your family and friends over. Decorate with colors of the sun—yellows, reds, and oranges. Feast on lots of summery food, like watermelons, strawberries, and fresh green salads. Add outdoor games like horseshoes, ladder golf, and backyard volleyball.

While you're at it, set up some kind of water activities—water balloons, super soakers, a pool to splash in. All of these are great outside activities in the heat of summer, and help celebrate the balance between fire and water, as well as welcoming friends and family to celebrate the season.

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Try Cloud Scrying

Find a warm, grassy spot and look up to see what messages the sky might have for you.

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Learn & Grow

Spend some time on spiritual growth. Use this time of year to learn something new about your tradition, develop a new skill, or take a class in Tarot, Reiki, yoga, or whatever appeals to you. Create a daily plan of study to help you focus on what it is you want to do next. You've got plenty of extra hours of daylight this time of year, so there are no excuses.

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Visit A Honey Farm

If you’re not allergic to bees (or deathly afraid of them!) this is a nice activity. Be sure to stock up while you’re there.

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Honor The Season

Many ancient cultures marked the summer solstice with rites and rituals honoring the sun. Celebrate the significance of Midsummer with ritual and prayers that recognize the sun and its magnificent power. Set up your Litha altar with symbols of the season—solar symbols, candles, midsummer fruits and vegetables, and more.

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Article Sources :

https://moodymoons.com/2016/06/15/10-ways-to-celebrate-litha-2/ https://www.learnreligions.com/great-ways-to-celebrate-litha-2562249

[amphtaminedreams]

Why Ethical Fashion Doesn’t Need to be Boring (In the Words of a Shopping Addict): Lookbook no.14

Hi to anyone reading,

Arghhhh.

I never know how to start posts when I literally just uploaded the other week because I tend to follow the very formulaic approach of summarising what I’ve missed due to sporadic posting…I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m still posting sporadically, it just so happens I’ve had more content to get up recently-sometimes lightning strikes twice, ya know, and I have a brief, if chemically fuelled, reprieve from the permanent state of exhaustion. It’s not like there isn’t stuff to talk about- the last month has seen a horrific murder and public outcry in response. There are a lot of important conversations going on about women’s safety and misogynistic violence that I really cannot do justice to in a paragraph and feelings that have been brewing for a long time that I can’t articulate yet and will not attempt to offhandedly do so in this post. Right now I just wanna say that I stand in solidarity with all those with histories of experiencing violence at the hands of men, those who aren’t here with us anymore as a result of that violence such as Sarah Everard, and those marginalised women whose stories don’t make national news. It’s very telling the way Sarah’s vigil was responded to by the same police force that have allowed mostly male anti-mask protests to go ahead with protestors unscathed, and solidarity with the women who were treated with such an unjustifiable amount of force at the vigil too.

That being said, women’s rights are something I wanted to talk about in this post, with regards to the way it ties into ethical fashion. None of us are perfect and it’s easy living in a first world country to detach yourself from the issues stemming from fast fashion, especially when you don’t have the time or money yourself to be selective about where you buy from. Don’t get me wrong, I do treat myself to some new clothes from fast fashion companies like ASOS and Urban Outfitters a few times a year so this is NOT coming from a place of preaching, but I have drastically reduced that to buying about 90% of my new clothes either second hand from Depop or charity shops or clothing stores that are upfront about their outsourcing practices. I love putting outfits together and updating my wardrobe and I don’t want to abandon that as a medium of self-expression because it does bring me joy, but to continue to update my wardrobe with the frequency I do by buying from fast fashion retailers on such a regular basis I accepted was going against the things I care about; around 80% of textile workers on poverty wages in developing countries are girls and women (opensocietyfoundations.org), and whilst fast fashion companies in the West continue to outsource manufacturing to said countries to cut costs and there is little regulation enforcing employers to pay women the same amount as men or even adhere to a minimum wage, they will continue to be forced into these roles where they are subjected to horrific working conditions, impossible production targets and frequent abuse (according to an article published in the Guardian in June 2018, 540 incidences of abuse, often of a sexual nature, were reported by women working in factories supplying the retailers GAP and H&M when they were interviewed on the subject). There is no denying that the fast fashion industry depends on and perpetuates the subjugation of women and systematically prevents them from making steps towards gender equality in their countries, be it through greater financial independence or the freedom to pursue higher education; the popular current practice by western fast fashion companies of outsourcing manufacturing to factories unhindered by workers rights and gender equality laws by association condones the sexual and physical violence that occurs as a means of punishment for not meeting targets, the exploitative pay which affords women little independence from husbands and families dominated by patriarchal values, and the long, exhausting hours which women have little choice but to take in order to avoid their contracts being terminated and to put food on the table. No, one individual completely abandoning fast fashion isn’t going to put an end to these unethical practices but if all of us make a conscious effort to reduce our consumption at least a little and make it clear why we’re doing so, we put greater pressure on fast fashion companies to act in a more responsible way. There isn’t going to be any kind of miraculous change of heart, so to force them to change we have to hit the industry and the people at the top who benefit from such practices where it really hurts: their profit.

SO, for this post I thought I would highlight some of my favourite more ethical online clothing companies to buy from; the more popular these more socially responsible brands become, the more apparent it becomes to fast fashion companies relying on an exploitative business model that how they treat their workers is of growing importance to consumers. It’s all very well and good Missguided and PLT talking about empowering women and making “girl boss” slogan tees but we need to make it clear that we’re aware of the hollowness of the gesture, and that we want less hypocritical talk and more action to actually enhance the lives of the women that work for them, not just the ones they show in their flashy offices on TV. I’ve included my favourite Depop shops too, because if you can shop second hand, that’s even better; though I like to treat myself to new clothes now and again, I’m aware that the impact the manufacturing process in general, whether or not the company acts in an ethical way with regards to their employment practices, has on the environment is more often than not detrimental. Depop has really been my saving grace this past year-if you know what you’re looking for and have the time and patience, you can find so many gems, and at this point the balance of my wardrobe is tipped firmly in the favour of the reuse and recycle approach to shopping. In the vein of reusing fashion, I thought I’d also include a mini lookbook for a cardigan I got from one of my favourite online retailers, The Ragged Priest, just as a reminder that 1). The best way to be sustainable is to rewear and 2). That with tweaks, one piece alone can give you multiple completely different outfits. Like honestly, outfit repeating doesn’t have to be a literal repeat. Sometimes it’s worth spending a little bit extra on something that looks good with everything, and making that investment into your ability to fool people that you’ve got your shit together by wearing something cool as fuck.

Quickly before I get into it, I’m aware that some ethical companies are a bit out of the average consumer’s price range, and so I wanted to sort them into price point categories which will work as follows:

£= most of their stock is £40 & under ££= most of their stock is between £40-£100 £££= most of their stock costs upwards of £100

Now, in no particular order (and starting with online retailers before moving onto Depop shops), here’s the list!

1. THE RAGGED PRIEST

PRICE POINT: ££

Using recycled fabric to construct their pieces where possible and releasing clothing in small drops designed to sell out rather than following the typical fast fashion model of outsourcing the production of vast amounts of clothing overseas, the Ragged Priest is my absolute favourite clothing brand out there. It’s *semi* affordable and because they are all about those bold, in your face, your-grandma-will-probs-think-it’s-ugly kinda pieces, just one can do SO much for your wardrobe.

I recently bought this cardigan from their The Simple Life drop and had so many outfit ideas for it that I thought I’d put a few of them together for this post just as an example of how you can take the same piece over and over again and still make it interesting, even when you don’t feel like straying too far from your personal style preferences. While we’re at it, I also wanted to use this mini lookbook to point out how fucking great Depop is! Literally everything in these outfits is from there apart from the shoes and the jewellery, the leather blazer on the right I bought a few years ago and then the top and skirt in the outfit from the far left which are both from Ebay. The shoes with that outfit are from Koi Vegan footwear-I didn’t include them in this list because I wanted to keep it consistent and focus on ethical clothing companies rather than retailers that focus on one specific thing such as shoes or jewellery, but they are my favourite place to buy shoes from and focus closely on ethical production too so definitely recommend.

2. MINGA LONDON

PRICE POINT: ££

Towards the lower end of the ££ price point, Minga is probably the closest you’re gonna get to an ethical version of the Dolls Kill Deliah’s range. Their focus on being a socially responsible business is a huge part of their ethos and their pieces are put together in Portugal, where they're based, by a small in-house team; the majority of their fabric is sourced from local Portuguese businesses and even more amazingly, they recycle the fabric of the pieces they don’t sell in new designs. They are just a generally amazing company and I wish more people knew about them because their pieces are fucking adorable and wouldn’t be out of place (or overpriced) in your local UO.

3. ELSIE & FRED

PRICE POINT: £

A small, black owned business set up by 3 siblings from Coventry, Elsie & Fred have earned themselves a reputation as a staple provider of the festival season wardrobe. Being an independently owned business, they have strict standards that their manufacturers must adhere to and a close working relationship with the owners of the two factories who oversee production in Guangzhou, China, to ensure fair wages and a safe working environment. On the environmental side of things, Elsie and Fred are working to incorporate recycled fabric into their designs as much as possible and have this year introduced compostable mailing bags.

4. HOUSE OF SUNNY

PRICE POINT: £££

Follow enough British instagram fashion influencers and you are bound to have heard of House of Sunny in 2020-snagging what is probably my all time favourite coat from there in 2019 before all the hype is a humble brag I will allow myself on the basis that I haven’t been able to afford anything since, lol. Along with kooky, one of a kind designs, being decidedly anti-fast fashion is a huge part of their branding; HoS only drop 2 collections of limited stock a year, thoroughly screen suppliers and on their website you can find a tonne of information on how they’re working to offset their environmental impact too. If you can treat yourself to a piece from there at any point, the quality of the garments truly make the price point worth it.

5. JADED LONDON

PRICE POINT: ££

Similarly to The Ragged Priest and House of Sunny, Jaded London go the route of dropping limited collections on a less frequent basis intending to sell out (particularly popular pieces are occasionally restocked) rather than needlessly manufacturing vast quantities of garments to flog for whatever they can get and cutting corners with fair employment practices to offset any losses. By employing independent staff in the manufacturing plants with which they liaise to ensure fair, dignified working conditions and also by working closely with charities such as the Trussel Trust and Stand Up to Racism, Jaded London demonstrates a level of commitment to corporate responsibility that set them apart from a lot of similar online retailers. They are at the top of their game when it comes to daring and experimental yet wearable pieces and so it’s cool that they recognise the need to conduct their business in a considerate way too.

6. THE HIPPIE SHAKE

PRICE POINT: ££

Owned by UK based bohemian queen Naomi Hession, the Hippie Shake is not only a great small independent business to support but is also the definition of slow fashion. With a limited number of opulent 70s style pieces, I have always wanted to purchase something from here. I’ve yet to do so but I’m gonna make it my mission eventually.

7. VINTAGE HEARTS

PRICE POINT: £

An affordable, gorgeous array of quirky handpicked vintage pieces that would probably take you forever to find in a charity shop or that you’d be charged a small fortune for if you found it in a high street second hand store, Vintage Hearts is where you should go if you want a timeless statement piece that may have otherwise ended up in a landfill. The added benefit of vintage clothing is that it is, by its nature, great for the environment, but you can also look fab and groovy as fuck as you do your bit for the planet<3

8. WE ARE COW

PRICE POINT: £

Offering both original vintage pieces and reworked pieces using recycled fabrics, We Are Cow has both basic branded second hand items but also handmade streetwear style original designs all for a fair price. You can tell that it’s all high quality stuff consistent with their modern, functional aesthetic and it’s clear that the team behind the shop has a real vision in mind when they’re designing. 

9. OUT OF THE ORDINARY CLOTHING

PRICE POINT: £

In the words of Corrie Davis, founder of OOTO "I start with the belief that fashion will be always be worn differently by the individual that wears it. Every collection from Out of the Ordinary is different to the last but undeniably Out of the Ordinary. I champion flamboyancy and embrace the cultures I've experienced around the world, merging the two and creating popular style trends in exciting textiles, prints and techniques to bring to you something a little Out of the Ordinary." That pretty much sums up the vibrancy, vivacity and bold elegance of the brand’s aesthetic perfectly, which is reflected by Davis’ commitment to ethical manufacturing based on relationships forged between the founders and family artisans and the sourcing of fabrics from textile markets around the world. Everything you need for a boujie summer holiday in the Mediterranean-when leaving the country is finally allowed again, lol, EVERYBODY GET YOUR FUCKING VACCINE-is here.

10. WILD THING

PRICE POINT: ranges from £-£££ depending on the brand

Probs the closest thing you’ll get to an ethical ASOS, Wild Thing brings together a host of sustainable and independent clothing brands and puts them all in one place to present to us all a collection of the sickest festival style fashion out there. Whilst it’s super cool that this already exists and a slice of humble pie for myself to remind me that I am not in fact the revolutionary marketing genius I thought I was, I’m bummed to know that my idea of said ethical ASOS style website is already out there. Fingers crossed for the next grand money making scheme that comes to mind that I can use to distribute some wealth (yeah, there probably won’t be any because very few original thoughts enter my head, clearly, tehe) xoxo

11. SHOPFLUFFY

PRICE POINT: ££

I know it’s 2021 and we all kind hate the idea of girl boss feminism and the connotations of privilege and exploitation that come with it but can we bring it back when we’re talking about women who embody what it was actually all supposed to be about? Because the owner of ShopFluffy, @lulutrixabelle embodies everything good about the term. Somebody who genuinely does (cue Ramona singer voice here) empower other women through her celebration of powerful female friendship and free spirited sense of personal style that should inspire every one of us to wear whatever the fuck we want (clashing patterns and over-accessorising be damned), Lulu handmakes all the designs on her site and very much places an emphasis on slow fashion by releasing only a few collections a year which you can clearly tell a lot of painstaking effort and talent went into. ShopFluffy is on the pricier side but the adorable crocheted coords LuLu specialises in, reminiscent of carefree childhood days and picnics in meadows picturesque enough to be the backdrop of a Jacquemus runway presentation, are a bold and beautiful expression of playful femininity worthy of departing with a bit more than you’d usually spend. After all, if you are gonna spend that money on a piece of clothing, supporting an ethical, independent woman owned business clearly built on carefully honed skill, passion and authenticity is the way to go.

12. SHOPEASYTIGER

PRICE POINT: ££

It feels correct to follow up the ShopFluffy mention with ShopEasyTiger given the friendship between the former’s owner with Tigerlilly Winfield (is that not the most wonderfully storybook character sounding name of all time?), owner of Easy Tiger. Up there with my most revered style icons, Tigerlilly’s designs are as flamboyant and glamorous and daring and dramatic as her own personal style, and again, they are ethically made! If you want to get that psychedelic rock n’roll groupie that’s actually way cooler than the band itself kinda energy too, her shop is the place to start.

13. HOTTTRAMP 

PRICE POINT: ££

Founded by the incredibly hot Belle_hott_tramp on Instagram, HottTramp is a collection of both handmade pieces and carefully selected vintage finds that blur the lines between 90s Courtney Love style grunge and 70s summer of love hippy that make me want to start my own all girl rock band and hire a camper van to paint black and road trip through the American desert. Given my complete lack of hand eye coordination, I’ll most likely never have the instrumental skills to do that but I never said it was a realistic fantasy, okay?

14. LAZY OAF

PRICE POINT: ££

Is it just me that always thought Lazy Oaf was within the same kind of price range as The Ragged Priest? Because it’s a lottt more expensive than I thought. That being said, if you’re going for a playful, toned down Molly Goddard kinda look, anything bright and youthful, Lazy Oaf’s clothes 100% fit that brief. You are paying more, but part of that markup is reflected in their transparency when it comes to their ethical code, which includes ensuring that statutory minimum wage laws are adhered to in the supply chain as well as that all workers are of the legal working age for their countries and that their working hours do not exceed the legal limit. They are also steadfastly committed to donating a portion of their profits to charities dedicated to improving mental wellbeing such as Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, and Young Minds, something that is hugely important to me given my own experiences and the line of work I want to go into.

15. NEVER FULLY DRESSED

PRICE POINT: ££

Similar in their aesthetic to Out of the Ordinary, Never Fully Dressed is big on colour, print, and elegance. They have both specially selected second hand pieces on offer and original designs too and the about us section of their website clearly states how passionate they are about their ethical manufacturing process, which takes place both here in the UK and in China.

16. TUNNEL VISION

PRICE POINT: ££

Offering the dreamiest, one of a kind vintage 90s pieces, Tunnel Vision could just as easily be a grunge girl band come the craft themed moodboard as it is an online retailer. If the 90s isn’t for you-I mean, I don’t wanna question anybody’s taste levels but…-they also have the option of shopping by era, which I think is a really cool feature I wish a lot of irl vintage shops would incorporate.

17.  LOVE TOO TRUE

PRICE POINT: £

Everything on Love Too True is fucking gorgeousss and it is no surprise that they manufacture their garments here in London because I feel their brand totally encompasses that stereotypical 90s East End punk vibe perfectly with a shit tonne of chunky boots and show stopping plaid pieces that makes my heart ache for a riot grrrl renaissance. Yes, when it comes to feminism’s place in mainstream culture, making sure the political goals and structural changes we’re aiming for are visible to all is by far the most important, but let’s have a resurgence of the grunge girl’s armour along with that and PLEASE let’s leave athleisure in the 2010s. No more Kardashian nude leggings, I beg (I AM being lighthearted, wear whatever you want! We’re not policing women’s clothes in this neck of the woods).

18. NINE LIVES BAZAAR

PRICE POINT: £££

Eurgh. Nine Lives Bazaar. I want it ALL. Their clothes give me all the Etro, Zimmerman, Torey Burch, modernised Stevie Nicks vibes on a slightly more realistic budget, though unfortunately for me said budget just isn’t realistic enough. You would think pieces being ethically produced is just a given when it comes to clothes within this price range but that’s not necessarily the case and Nine Lives Bazaar is one of the ones you can trust to actually be considerate of their employees needs when it comes to their approach to business. To anybody who can afford to shop here, I am insanely jealous. The rest of us, for now, can just browse the website n feel the fantasy, channel a Valentina level of delusion and pretend it’s just the import taxes from Australia that’s holding us back from making a purchase.

-DEPOP SHOPS-

1. @HOUSE_OF_EROTIQUE

PRICE POINT: ££

Everything handmade and latex and form fitting to make you the baddest bitch in the room, I’ve got myself a few pieces from this shop over the past couple of years. Customer service is a bit hit or miss and there’s been times when I’ve had to wait a while for my purchases to get to me but because they’re all one of a kind and custom made to fit, it’s worth it, and when they have messed up they were kind enough to add something to my order for free.

2. @SACREDHAWK

PRICE POINT: ££

If you picture raiding the wardrobe of a biker gang, snatching the Coachella bound suitcases of the Revolve ambassadors at Palm Springs airport, and then jumbling all those clothes together, that’s probably your best bet at getting an idea of Sacred Hawk’s aesthetic. Formerly an ASOS concession, the brand is now available on Depop and is a collection of the most lavish glam grunge pieces, all vintage or reworked vintage. Some things are a bit on the pricey side but I would say they are all priced fairly considering how unique and ornate a lot of the pieces are, and I reeeeally wanna be able to say I own something from there one day.

3. @IDENTITYPARTY

PRICE POINT: £££

I struggled with how to categorise this Depop shop in terms of price point because although there are some fairly low-priced pieces, the standouts are the vintage coats which are understandably a lot more expensive-if you want to fully immerse yourself in the Almost Famous Penny Lane fantasy, you’re gonna have to fork out a little bit.

4. @RETRO_RAIL

PRICE POINT: £££

Retro_rail is of a similar vein to IdentityParty, in that the standout pieces are the vintage coats which are usually upwards of £100-if you’re looking for one-of-a-kind statement outerwear to invest in, I can’t recommend this shop enough. If you’re like me and you’re looking for something more within the £ to ££ price range, Retro Rail is still worth a browse as inspiration for the kind of styles you might wanna try and find elsewhere on Depop.

5. @5THSEASON

PRICE POINT: £

Most of the quirky vintage pieces you’ll find on offer on this Depop shop are within the £25 to £40 price range and though you’ve got coats similar to those you’ll find on Identity Party and Retro Rail and they are sill slightly more than the tops and trousers and dresses on sale etc., they are more modestly priced than the other 2 listed.

6. @DREAMERSREBELS

PRICE POINT: £££

Another v pricey one, dreamersrebels specialises in the daintiest, most whimsical 60s style co-ords I’ve ever seen. Handmade upon purchase, which in turn guarantees little textile waste, you can find the kind of pieces you’d expect to see on a 21st century incarnation of Audrey Hepburn, all the soft pastels and timeless, retro silhouettes you could possibly wish for. I mean, wishing is pretty much all I can do rn but anyone with a near minimum wage retail job knows you need something to aspire to, lol. I managed to budget enough to treat myself to a Selkie dress so I’m manifesting that same level of self-discipline to get me a dreamersrebels piece next.

7. @AWKWARDPHASE

PRICE POINT: £

Very affordable vintage pieces that range from cutesy mid-century style dresses and coats to grungy 90s jackets, perfectly styled and presented too in a way that will have you wanting to order something for yourself to replicate that modern spin on old staples and give them a second life.

8. @EVIEHALLOWS

PRICE POINT: £

Another Depop shop where the clothes are styled so well, it’ll have you thinking you can make anything from a floral 1950s housewife style cardigan to a lycra jumpsuit look very intentionally on trend.

9. @JAHOOLI

PRICE POINT: £

There’s also Jahooli, which I will just say ticks all the same boxes as the other two aforementioned stores to avoid repeating myself.

10. @LOVELYANDLOVELESS 

PRICE POINT: £

In terms of price, I would put Lovely and Loveless into the same category as Jahooli, Awkward Phase and Evie Hallows, the difference being that the clothes available are more on the dainty, classically feminine side. People who have a Pinterest board dedicated to the cottagecore or light academia aesthetic (whew, the gen Z is showing), this one’s for you.

11. @CHLOESTJOHN

PRICE POINT: £

Finally, we have the ChloeStJohn Depop shop and it’s definitely a good one to end on; picture the wardrobe of Carrie Bradshaw if she’d lived in Camden instead of New York in the 90s and hung out with a slightly edgier crew than Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha and there you have it, the vibe of the pieces on offer. Does it belong to a girl who probs lives near Primrose Hill and has access to all the boujiest second hand clothes shops available which she most likely routinely raids to resell on Depop? Potentially, but hopefully not because I am very here for this whole red wine in one hand and a cigarette in another back when people were allowed to smoke inside bars aesthetic. I’m sorry that the gen Z part of me once again jumped out in such an aggressive fashion with that last sentence, but I know you know what I mean.

And that’s everything! 

I did wanna close off the post with a reminder of how nuanced a discussion this is-having the time and money to be more conscious about your ethical footprint when you’re buying clothes is in itself a privilege; fashion shouldn’t be an interest reserved for only those who have the means to pay extra or spend time scouring the internet. It’s also important to be aware of the lack of size inclusivity-a lot of the “trendy” sustainable fashion brands tend to not stock anything larger than a size 14 and attempt to deflect attention away from this by categorising clothes as either XS, S, M, or L, which is in itself a bit of a pisstake considering that 12-14 is the average clothing size here for women in the UK, and so in no way large. Shopping from Depop and Ebay is hard too when so many brands fail to understand how to fit a non-straight size body which in turn necessitates trying stuff on before you buy it, something that isn’t possible when you’re shopping second hand. A lot of Depop shops fail to offer returns and even with those who do, chasing up that return can be a time-consuming and generally all round frustrating process.

Basically, when we’re having these kinds of discussions it’s important to consider everyone’s situations and avoid sitting on some kind of high horse. I feel like things have become even more complicated lately- with the recent closure of once popular high street stores such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge, it has got me thinking a lot about just how many people’s income here in the UK is dependent on fast fashion retailers too and their popularity. The job scarcity resulting from these kind of closures, which are often all that is available to a lot of people with the demands of the job market seemingly becoming more and more impossible each day even for those who have been in higher education, is clearly an issue when the kind of support you can expect from the government as someone out of work is so woefully inadequate and likely to become even more so as the conservatives push for further cuts to UC and PIP. The past year has really shown us just how shaky the ground that an intensely capitalist society stands on is and how quickly everything can go tits up when we don’t invest in a safety net for those who are struggling. People seem to have realised more than ever the extent to which those whose jobs we deem “low-skilled” are actually the backbone of society, and yet even here, whilst the situation may not be quite as desperate as it is elsewhere, we still haven’t seen pay rises that reflect that. Turns out all the clapping WAS an empty gesture, who’d have thought it (for fuck’s sake)? Fair wages really are a global issue that starts with paying people enough for them to comfortably live on and in time should lead to a shift in consciousness away from the concept of profit before everything else and towards an equal playing field for everyone, something we should take every opportunity to speak up about and demand from our “leaders”, however shit a job so many of those leaders do. It’s frustrating how the focus on making ethical purchasing choices is so often on the overconsumption of things that women historically are more actively interested in such as clothes and accessories and make up when the reality is that the wealth of every industry titan on this planet, NOT just the ones who dominate the fast fashion sphere, depends on them continuing to get away with exploiting people-we should be looking at how we can show our dissatisfaction in all areas. Maybe I’m perpetuating that with this post, since a lot of the online retailers I mentioned only sell women’s clothing, but that being said, I’m not about to do men’s work for them, lol-they should make the effort, if possible, to research into sustainable clothing alternatives too.

Anyway, that’s the end of this post! If you read to the end, thank you so much! If I’ve made any errors in my research or there are more sustainable clothing brands that I could’ve mentioned, feel free to inbox me them too, and I can add them to this post if Tumblr allows. It’s usually a little bitch when it comes to editing long posts but I’ll try my best:) Again, thanks for reading! And if you are, I hope you are safe and well!

Lauren x

[thiamfresh]

One trope that always annoys me is the "poor person doesn't take charity'. To me it pretty much always comes off as 'rich person writes poor person but they have to be #independant because that's the only acceptable way to be poor.'

When I was 6 my friend started giving me his sandwich everyday for lunch. At first he told me it was because he didn't like the filling and I believed him. But then it happened so often I realised something was up and I asked him why he was doing it and he told me it was because he could eat the rest of his lunch and if he was really hungry he could just get a snack after school and he didn't didn't I could do that (he was right. Those sandwiches were like everything to 6 year old me)

Evey year my junior school had mandatory food drives and every year me and my brother had to forgoe dinner to bring in some cans for people in Haiti and every year I hated the school for it. I hated sitting by this giant ass tower or food hearing how it was going to people who needed it when there were people who needed it that room and I wished someone would do the same for my family and give us a big bag of food so I could have my own lunch (by this point my friends mum found out he was giving me his sandwiches, banned him from doing it and made the teachers watch him eat to make sure he didn't give any away)

When I was in secondary school a kid who bullied me saw me picking up some change he'd thrown away on the walk home and after that he'd wait outside the shop to give me his change because "I won't use it but you will."

He still ripped the shit out of me at school but we always had a true on the way home where he'd give me his change so i could buy something to eat by the end of the week.

My clothes were full of holes and so my friend stopped throwing her clothes out and instead put them into a bin bag and got her sisters who didnt ven know me to do the same thing and then when it was full she'd give it to me so I'd have 'new' clothes.

My other friends mum would buy veggie food specifically so I would eat when I was there because she knew I didn't eat much at home.

What I have learnt, from growing up poor is that charity is a huge part of being poor and its not just receiving it. Its giving it.

It's giving your friend the £5 you got from your uncle so you could buy new pens so they can buy some electricity because it ran out and their mum can't afford more at the moment.

It's splitting the sandwich you were given because you don't have lunch with the person you know also doesn't have lunch because no one else has noticed they're not eating either yet.

Its finding 20 quid on the street and splitting it with your brother and your two friends because that way all of you get to eat, or do something fun for once.

Its letting your friend come round at 1am to finish an assignment because they can't pay the Internet bill but yours is still working.

It's babysitting the neighbours kid and feeding them even though you know you'll have less because if you don't you know they won't have anything because they're mum will lose their job and because you've had nothing and know how shit it is you don't want other people to have to deal with that.

It's giving your last pound to a strangers kid when you see them drop their ice-cream and their parent can't afford a replacement.

Its pouring half your pint of milk into a plastic bottle for your friend to take home because because can't afford it but should be able to have a cup of tea/bowl of cereal before their next paycheck.

Don't get me wrong there are of course a lot of people who do say "I don't want charity" and I've said it before. When the situation for giving me money or help feels wrong, or you know the favor you'll owe them won't be worth whatever it is they're offering.

But I just.. I want poor characters who are allowed allowed lean on eachother. Who don't have to be completely independent to feel like they're still worthy of respect. There is nothing wrong with accepting help when you need it and this idea that all poor characters will be insult when offered help is infuriating.

I've had moments in life where someone has offered me something I need and can't afford (like an old new coat) but before I can say "Yes please." Have been interrupted by some middle class fuck talking over me and saying "she's mot a charity case."

Like no. Im not, but there is nothing wrong with accepting help when you need it. There's nothing shameful about being given something someone else doesn't need anymore because you can still use it.

I want to see characters who work together. Who don't turn their nose up at an offering most people in that situation would gladly take because the writers think that them accepting help will make them seem pathetic, or weak.

Let poor people be fucking poor and show the generosity that flows in the lower class circles rather than making 99% of poor characters assholes who would stab someone for a slice of cheese or too proud to accept the help that most of us would take (even if it's reluctantly with a thousand 'I'll pay you backs' tagged on)

[fashioneditswebsite]

"Experts in second-hand shopping share their top tips for finding the best bargains."

Over the past few years, second-hand shopping has become more accessible, fashionable, and essential. Vintage fashion and thrifting have become a staple for many Gen Z individuals for several reasons, including sustainability, affordability, and uniqueness. According to a recent survey by ShipStation, over a third of shoppers now choose to buy pre-owned items over new ones each month. Amy Bannerman, a pioneer of pre-loved fashion and the mind behind Love Island’s eBay wardrobe, questions why people don't shop second-hand more often, highlighting the affordability and individual style that can be achieved through second-hand shopping. Bannerman, who has styled celebrities like Dua Lipa and Sophie Turner, believes that fashion doesn't need to be new to be exciting. Top thrifting experts provide tips on why and how to shop second-hand in September. Why shop second-hand? It’s no secret that the quality of high-street clothes has declined in recent years. The rise of fast fashion has meant garments are commissioned to be made quicker, cheaper, and in higher quantities. This, roughly translated, means dresses are no longer lined, jumpers have too short sleeves and loose threads are commonplace. These aspects have arisen from the ‘quantity over quality’ mantra repeated in the fashion industry over recent years. Furthermore, fast-fashion garments are no longer as affordable as when they first appeared on the shelves: an unlined blouse from Zara costs $59. Where to start View this post on Instagram A post shared by Besma | Curiously Conscious (@besmacc) According to sustainable fashion influencer Besma Whayeb, figuring out your style and what makes you feel confident is key to successful second-hand shopping. Once you've done this, you can refine your searches on second-hand websites with specific keywords. Second-hand shopping isn’t just about buying. Becky Chorlton, who goes by @BeckysBazaar online, earns around 3,000 a month from live-streaming the sale of her old clothes. Expert Quick Tips Measurements Second-hand shopping requires knowing your measurements, as sizes can vary depending on the decade and location of the clothing. This allows you to play around with the fit of clothing items, accessorizing and altering. Hacking high end Second-hand shopping also applies to high fashion. This year, New York and London Fashion Week will feature eBay’s first-ever pre-loved show, curated by Amy Bannerman, and archival pieces from designers like Vivienne Westwood and Molly Goddard. Rinse and repeat Revisiting your charity shop at the start of the season means there will be more turnover as people do their seasonal clear-outs (Alamy/PA) According to Lucy Norris, regular visits to your local charity shop increase your chances of finding something special, as the inventory changes frequently. Alerts and alarms Setting alerts on large platforms like Vinted or finding second-hand sources for specific brands can save you time by avoiding searching through unwanted items. Fabrics Whayeb always avoids synthetic fibers. “You can tell if an item is low quality by looking at how it’s made, how it was sewn, and by checking the care label,” she says, “even when I’m shopping second-hand, I want the garment to last at least 30 wears and washes.” Checking your items aren’t made up of plastic will ensure their longevity (James North/PA) Out of fashion Bannerman’s chief rule to hacking the best vintage finds is to shop out of season. “Every time winter comes back, people look for that same trending coat. Not only will it mean your chances of winning that item are lower, but it will also mean the price will be inflated. “My advice is to beat the crowds by shopping out of season, so search for that coat you’ve always wanted when it’s hot outside or look for that floaty summer dress on a cold winter’s day.” Nail the bid There’s more to bidding than giving your highest figure. “I recommend bidding a more unexpected and uneven figure than others might and bidding just before the auction ends,” says Bannerman. “For example, if you put $52.86 and someone else has bid $50 (most people do even numbers), you are more likely to win. “ Read the full article

[cheri-cheri]

[L&N] Charlie’s Date - A Carefree Day

✧ Prologue: here

Option 1: Pack up for Bro Mao

Charlie and I help Bro Mao pack up while watching him leave.

Charlie changes into the outfit that I’ve prepared for him, and slips naturally into the role of the Little Ice-Cream Bro.

Everything goes smoothly. As more and more customers arrive, the ice-cream business gradually gains traction...

Charlie: Fiancée, I’ll grab some cream from the back. Don’t miss me too much.

With this, Charlie disappears into a corner.

However, not long after Charlie leaves, a young man in his early twenties comes over to our stall.

Young Man: May I know if this place sells ice-cream?

MC: Mm, but the Big Bro who makes ice-cream has gone to get ingredients. I’ll call hm over. Could you wait here for a while?

Seeing the young man nod, I turn around and head into the van.

MC: Charlie, a kid’s waiting for you outside.

Charlie quickly steps out of the van. Just then, I notice a cream stain in front of his chest.

I reach out towards him...

[ GAMEPLAY BEGINS: TAP HIM  ]

If you touch his crotch area:

Charlie: Ooh... Fiancée, there are people outside.

If you touch his stomach:

Charlie: My tummy feels ticklish.

If you touch his face:

Charlie: Given the condition of my skin today, it’s very suitable to be touched by my fiancée

If you touch his chest:

Charlie: Thank you, my thoughtful fiancée.

[ GAMEPLAY ENDS ]

[ SCENARIO ONE: IF YOU TAP THE CORRECT SPOT (HIS CHEST) ]

After wiping his clothes clean, the both of us step out of the vehicle.

A young woman around the same age as the young man is also waiting at the counter.

She stands beside the young man, a childish aura beneath her sunglasses. I find such a style vaguely familiar...

Young Woman: We’re together. I’ll have all the ice-cream here. Charge it to my account.

Charlie arches his brows, placing both hands on the counter.

Charlie: Oh? Till this day, nobody has dared to make decisions for my shop. Could you give me a reason?

Charlie deliberately deepens his voice, giving him a more intimidating aura than usual. However, the young lady remains unaffected.

Seeing this, the young man next to her is in a state of worry. He pulls on the young lady in sunglasses, putting himself in between Charlie and her.

Young Man: Pan Ni Xi Lin, we don’t need to get that many.

Pan Ni Xi Lin: Qin Mei Su, if you don’t want my ice-cream, you’ll have to accept my love letter!

[Note] Both of their names are meant to be puns of the word “penicillin”

Qin Mei Su: If I accept it, will you continue doing such things... like...

Pan Ni Xi Lin: Like following you from the faraway land of Australia?

Qin Mei Su: Mm...

Pan Ni Xi Lin: Of course I’ll continue. I know that you specially applied to join my one-on-one learning group last week. I’m simply giving you a stepping stone. Also, I happen to be a little interested in you.

Qin Mei Su: That’s only because our other classmates were bribed by you. All of them have paired up. In the entire class, only the both of us haven’t formed a group yet.

Pan Ni Xi Lin’s face turns red.

Pan Ni Xi Lin: Cough cough. So what? We simply do what we can. This is probably fate...

Hearing this, Charlie stands up once again.

Charlie: Miss Pan, I’m in deep admiration of your attitude...

Pan Ni Xi Lin: Sorry, my surname is Lin.

Charlie: Mm, my apologies, Miss Lin.

[Note] This is hilarious because it’s canon that Charlie’s surname is often mistaken to be Su instead of Zha

Charlie: Although I’m in deep admiration of your attitude, the charity stalls have a purchase limit.

Pan Ni Xi Lin: When did that regulation come about? I’ve never heard of such a thing...

Charlie: Just earlier. Half an hour later, the committee will make an announcement about it. 

It turns out that being the financial backer of the charity event could be this useful...

Charlie: However, you can still buy ice-cream. Two people can buy one. Which flavour would the both of you like?

Qin Mei Su: Coconut.

This time, Qin Mei Su responds faster than anyone else.

Pan Ni Xi Lin: When... did you like eating coconut?

Qin Mei Su: I don’t. But you like it, don’t you?

Pan Ni Xi Lin is rendered speechless. It dawns on me that Qin Mei Su might actually care about Pan Ni Xi Lin, but her direct manner of doing things makes it difficult to be frank...

Charlie: Okay, decide on your choice quickly.

Qin Mei Su: Coconut. I’m sure. I heard that the coconut ice-cream here is really good, which is why I specially came here. My choice won’t change. 

Pan Ni Xi Lin no longer speaks, and her face is flushed.

Charlie: Mm, no problem. I’ll prepare your order then.

Half a minute later, Charlie brings a coconut ice-cream to the counter.

Charlie: Little Student Qin, your ice-cream is ready. Go on and give it to her.

Qin Mei Su’s face reddens. Taking the ice-cream, he rushes over to Pan Ni Xi Lin.

After a while, Pan Ni Qi Lin takes the ice-cream. The both of them return to normal, chatting and laughing at the table.

MC: Charlie, how did you know how to deal with them?

Charlie: A certain gut feeling. It feels like it’s happened before.

MC: ...oh, I see.

This lad actually doesn’t know why the situation feels so familiar...

Sigh, forget it. Certain things can be left till next time.

While I’m wiping the table, I suddenly recall what Charlie mentioned earlier about the regulation on limited purchases.

MC: Oh yes. Charlie, will there really be a limit on purchases? Would we have to...

Charlie: Don’t worry.

Charlie smiles, interrupting my worries.

Charlie: There’s no such regulation.

MC: ...so you were spouting nonsense earlier??

Charlie: That’s right. It was simply meant to create an opportunity for them to be aware of each other.

Thinking about how young and inexperienced they looked earlier, I can’t help but feel emotionally moved.

It’s true. If Qin Mei Su hadn’t brought up why he came here, Pan Ni Xi Lin wouldn’t have known his intentions...

MC: How did you come up with that idea? Also, what if Pan Ni Xi Lin didn’t believe you?

Charlie: That wouldn’t have happened. People with high IQ will inevitably experience a collapse of their intelligence once they fall in love, and they’d believe in odd logic and fallacies.

MC: ...okay then. Huh, hang on! Is this something you saw in the post about “How to Be an Outstanding Lover”?

Charlie: Cough cough... it is. Such posts make quite a lot of sense.

MC: ...indeed.

If they didn’t make sense, how would I have been able to see it working twice in the span of five minutes?

Charlie: Fiancée, how long do you think it’d take for Pan Ni Xi Lin to woo Qin Mei Su?

I put down the cloth in my hand, shaking my head.

MC: I can’t make a guess. It might take a year, two years, or maybe a month... They might feel lonely when they no longer argue, or there may be a day when they suddenly make a decision in unison... there are all sorts of possibilities.

Charlie: Mm. I hope that day will come sooner.

I turn my head, looking at Charlie as he stares at Pan Ni Xi Lin and Qin Mei Su.

A breeze courses through the grass, wrapping their shadows together.

The knot in the lovers’ hearts are slowly disentangled.

[ SCENARIO TWO: IF YOU FAIL TO TAP THE CORRECT REGION ]

The stain doesn’t seem to be wiped clean.

With his slightly dirty collar, Charlie heads straight to the counter.

After tidying the back, I follow after him. When I reach the corner, the sound of a conversation between Charlie and the youth drifts over from the counter.

Young Man: Big Bro, what were you doing with that Big Sis back there? Why are your clothes so dirty...

Charlie: Shh, don’t spout nonsense. I dirtied myself. I’ll bear full responsibility for what I did.

What in the world is going on?!

MC: This is so awkward. I should hide in a corner and come out later...

✧ Epilogue: here

[spideyspeaches]

We always have been ↬ fem!p.p

A/N: AHHH I love genderbent Peter skjkjhjka and I’ve only seen @justme--emily​ write for her so far so I wrote one of my own 😤

Summary: It was not every day you crash into your ex boyfriend in a Stark Gala, was it? Your ex boyfriend you dumped right after your senior prom? It was probably her Parker luck striking, never a good sign, she learned that from experience. 

Warning: um cursing lol.

Pairing: female!Peter Parker x Harry Osborn

WC: 2k

When Mister Stark had asked her to attend one of those glorious charity galas, Penny had been elated, internally (and externally) jumping at the thought of wearing fancy gowns and walking past pretentious rich bureaucrats and business people.

She was practically lost in paradise when Miss Potts had accompanied her to shop for her dress, a beautiful blue and red full length gown, hugging her in her curves with a chinese collar neck and embroidered bust (very on brand of her). 

“Is your dress comfortable? Oh god I think I should have altered it myself, it’s not too tight right?” May fretted, fixing her hairdo and last minute make up she learnt from makeup hacks videos. Groaning, Penny nudged May by her shoulders, sitting her down on her twin bed, holding her aunt’s cheeks.

“May, the dress is comfortable! Miss Potts made sure that it was altered to my size okay? Now calm down, it’s just one night.” She smiled, folding her hands under her chest. Her dress was truly comfortable, and she looked undeniably good, she checked (she was a nerd, yes, but she wasn’t blind. Especially now that she had 20/20 long vision due to her spider powers.)

“You know how I feel about you going to fancy parties, baby.” May sighed, making her wince, “the last time you went to prom ended in a disaster. Both of them”

“I know May, but on the bright side, it gained me an actual paid internship. And Mister Stark and Miss Potts are going to be present the whole time!” She reassured, squeezing her aunt’s shoulders. In all honesty, she understood her anxiety, shuddering as she remembered her prom fighting Liz’s dad, and then breaking up with Harry, “besides, I have my spidery powers remember? I’m a big girl May, I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can sweetheart, god look at you all grown up, Ben would be so proud of how much you’ve grown, my little woman.” May sniffed, getting up to caress her head. She shook her head at her aunt’s emotional state, smiling as she bowed her head at the nickname. It was something Ben used to call her- little woman.

“Ben would be proud of you too May.” Penny said, willing her eyes to not water at the sudden rush of sentiment she felt at the mention of her deceased uncle.

“Now, shoo before I change my mind and keep you all to myself!” May laughed, fixing the non existent crease near her shoulders.

“Okay okay! I’m going May, jeez it’s like you and Mister Stark are holding a shared custody of me.” Penny snickered, scrambling to wear her uncomfortable heels, the ones that matched her dress.

“Maybe I am, but I get to be the primary guardian!”

Laughing, she gave her aunt a kiss to her cheek, doing a preliminary check of her cell phone and emergency bracelet, blowing her a kiss before walking into the car that was standing outside their apartment.

The car ride was silent, her stomach bubbling with nervousness and excitement. She was practically vibrating in her seat, glad that Tony had sent another driver instead of Happy- he would have teased her incessantly for being so nervous. She had grown close to Happy, the man growing fond of her as well, but he could be an embarrassing dad at times.

The gala was everything she had imagined, brightly lit in an overpriced hall, adorning overpriced decorations with people in overpriced clothes. 

“Hey Mister Stark! Thank you so much for inviting me!” She grinned, skipping towards her fath- mentor. 

“Hey Pen, wow don’t you look beautiful. A little too beautiful, beware of those good for nothing boys you hear me?” Tony smiled, hugging her, a protective hand on her shoulder. 

“Oh don’t mind Tony, hun, he’s only joking.” Pepper said, giving her a kiss on her cheek and doing a once over, just like May had. 

“I’m serious Pep, if those boys even tried anything, you call me okay? I’ll take care of them.” 

“Mister Stark, you can’t just threaten teenagers.” Penny giggled, looking at Pepper with a smirk.

“Barely a teenager kiddo, why did you grow up so fast?” He smiled, a fond look in his eyes.

“I’m nineteen Mister Stark, I think I can take care of those boys themselves.” 

“Hell yeah you can, that’s my girl.” 

Easy for her to say, because not long after that, Mister Stark and Pepper had abandoned her to talk to some prominent dealer about some… deals concerning Stark Industries, she didn't ask.

By the end of an hour, she was already bouncing on her heels, bored out of her mind. Even the Avengers could entertain her only so much, going back to their important work. And 

Penny was an awkward girl, always finding herself in situations she was unwilling to participate in, so socialising was out of question.

She remembered the one time she had accidentally spilled coffee all over Mister Stark’s touch sensitive keyboard, stuttering the whole time. He hadn’t even been mad, reassuring her that he had done that enough times before, hence the liquid resistant keypads. 

And then there was that one time the school nurse had called Tony when she was experiencing period induced fever. That was embarrassing, if not a little heartwarming to know that he cared about her enough to confront Pepper about menstrual problems. She was his daughter in everything but blood, he reminded her that every day, though not verbally.

There was also this one time she had been caught kissing MJ, but none of those were going to top what she was facing right now.

Literally.

“Penny! Penny Parker?” Harry’s chirpy voice rang in her ears, his footsteps sounding increasingly closer as she tried to hide her face behind her (non alcoholic) drink, frantically walking towards the vague figure of Mister Stark as fast as she could with her overly expensive stilettos.

It was not every day you crash into your ex boyfriend in a Stark Gala, was it? Your ex boyfriend you dumped right after your senior prom? It was probably her Parker luck striking, never a good sign, she learned that from experience. 

Finally standing near Mister Stark, she tried to stand next to him, ignoring the weird look he was giving her. Penny was petite, always has been small for her age, so she was glad Mister Stark could cover her with his side. Apparently he got her cue, as he shifted slightly to hide her from whomever’s view.

“What’s wrong Pen? Some pesky boy chasing you? Accidentally met your ex?” He joked, giving the old businessman in front of him a handshake and smirking at her with amusement. 

“Something like that.” She shrugged casually, snickering at Tony’s wide eyes. 

“Penny! Hey it’s me, Harry.” He said, nearly standing behind her. He was either incredibly stupid or incredibly brave, weaving his way through the crowd to stand right in front of her. He probably hadn’t noticed her clinging to Tony, which is why he came forward, a big goofy grin playing on his handsome face, sending her heart into a frenzy, his blue eyes shining under the gleaming lights. 

“Uh, h-hey Harry.” She grimaced, elongating his name with a chuckle. Shuffling forward, she ignored Tony’s raised eyebrows, opening her mouth to speak, but all she could look at was Harry Fucking Osborn standing in front of her, “Um, small world?” 

Her words sounded distant to her, heart heart a lump in her throat. She felt underprepared for these situations. Sure, they had broken off on a semi- good note, but it didn’t make whatever this was any less awkward. 

“Small world indeed.” He said, much softer than before, a solemn expression taking over his face, “It’s not every day you get to meet Penelope Parker in a Stark Gala. Heard of your internship by the way, I knew you were smart enough to get it.” 

“Oh, thanks about that. I guess you’re an unwilling guest here? Haven’t seen Mr. Osborn around.” She smiled shyly, shuffling on her feet.

“Yeah, kind of, I mean you know how he is.” He shrugged.

“How long have you two known each other?” Tony interrupts the two, watching in amusement as both his pseudo daughter and Norman’s son blush under his gaze, as if just noticing his presence.

“Uhm, Hi Mister Stark! B-big fan, hi oh my god Penny I’m standing in front of Tony Stark.” Harry stuttered, shaking Tony’s hand for a little too long.

Staring at him with confusion, he shook Harry's hand back, silently asking Penny the lingering question.

“He’s a bit of a fanboy.” She answered. 

Harry was still looking at Stark with his wonderstruck expression. 

“Well it’s always good to meet my fans, but you didn't answer my question, kid. How do you two know each other?” Tony said, smiling as politely as he could while his hand was still stuck in Harry’s grip. 

Realising that, he instantly let go, standing awkwardly as him and Penny said at the same time-

“I’m her ex boyfriend-”

“He’s my best friend.” 

His eyes widen, realising what he had just said.

“You guys dated? And when were you going to tell me about that Pen?” Tony asked, baffled at the thought of Penny dating a guy, and Osborn’s son of all people. 

“Well, you see, I was going to tell you soon, but then we broke up. You know? We haven’t talked since.” Penny said, the last sentence directed towards Harry. She was looking at him now, gritting her teeth.

“Well did you expect me to call you after you dumped me? During prom nonetheless? I was ashamed, Pen, I couldn’t do it.” Harry said, looking apologetic. It made her heart clench, inherent guilt building up in her tummy. It was her fault, technically. 

“Yeah but, Harry you were my best friend before my boyfriend, and I missed you okay? You could’ve at least called.” She defended. Tony was good at reading the room, so sensing a banter building, he quietly left the area, not wanting to witness the misunderstanding.

“I really missed you too Penny, I- I didn’t think I was good enough for you, gosh I really fucking love you.” He said, immediately stiffening. 

Even back when they were dating, they had never said the L word to each other, not even when they were best friends, and now? Well he had just made the air more thicker than before. 

“You- you what?” She asked, voice small as her heart jumped. She moved closer to him, holding her hands out, reaching to touch his shoulders. Her hands set on his silky tuxedo, she stroked her hands in a slow motion, dropping them immediately when she realised she was touching him.

“I really fucking love you Penny, even if you don’t want to get together, can we still be friends? Go back to our movie nights and lego sessions?” He asked, furrowing his brows as if to keep himself from crying. 

No words left her mouth, her breath hitched when he moved forward, chest stuttering. With a sudden confidence she didn’t know she had, she leapt forward, capturing his lips in hers. Their lips moved with a sync, his familiar ocean scented deo invading her nostrils, his soft skin against her. The world around her melded in a technicolour blob, the only thing she could focus was his heartbeat echoing in her ears.

“I really fucking love you too by the way.” She said, pulling away from the kiss. She vaguely spotted Miss Potts in her periphery, shaking her head with a smile as she held back Mister Stark.

“So, are we friends then?” 

“Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“We are more than friends, you dumbass. We always have been.” 

I’m a thirsty bitch, pwease give me feedback? 🥺🥺